“HerShield” is the Company of the Year 2026
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT CYPRUS
COMPANY PROGRAMME COMPETITION 2026
FINALE & AWARDS CEREMONY
Junior Achievement Cyprus successfully organized, for the 13th consecutive year, the Final and Award Ceremony of the COMPANY PROGRAMME 2026 Competition as part of the all-day event The Road to Gen-E, on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. This event, which is held with the Institutional Support of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, marked the completion of a dynamic programme that highlights creativity and entrepreneurial thinking of young people.
15 student teams took to the stage, claiming the title of ” Company of the Year”. The finalists were selected from a total of 89 student companies as a result of the long effort of 550 students, aged 15–18, who created and operated their own companies. Each team presented their innovative ideas in front of the jury to which we express our warm thanks for their time and contribution. The Jury consisted of: Konstantina Logotheti (Board of Directors of JA Cyprus & PwC Foundation), Christos Sophocleous (MetLife), Chara Leonidou (Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus), Harry Evripidou (Coffee Island), Christos Charalambous (Research & Innovation Foundation), Katerina Chrystostomou (Amdocs Cyprus) and Stella Filippou (Bank of Cyprus).
The title of “Company of the Year 2026” was awarded to the HerShield team, from St. Mary’s School in Limassol, consisting of Paschalis Alatzoglou, Andreas Marcelina Pelendrides, Ioanna Christina Petrou, Emmelia Marina Mitrofanous, Despina Michael, Zoe Michael, Erika Vasili, Mikaella Tranta and Iro Christou. Under the guidance of their teachers Maria Kythreotou and Maria Papas, and their mentor Annita Petrou, the team developed a discreet and elegant lip gloss-style case, designed with one and only purpose: to protect women when it matters most. Inside, it hides substance detection tapes in drinks, allowing quick and discreet checks for harmful substances in any situation.
The second place was awarded to the FromSea2Soil team from Lanitio Lyceum, with members Timotheos Timotheou, Fotini Giannakou, Maria Louiza Vassiliadis, Konstantinos Argyrou, Christos Papaleontiou, Georgia Vassiliadou, Giorgos Loukaidis and Phoebus Iosif. The group was led by teacher Christina Aristodimou and their mentor, Dimitris Dimitriou. FromSea2Soil turns a Mediterranean environmental challenge into an opportunity, harnessing discarded posidonia oceanica (a species of marine plant) and turning it into natural fertilizer. Through recovering phosphorus from water and returning it to the soil, the project closes the nutrient cycle and highlights how science can lead to sustainable, circular solutions.
The third place was won by the BioCleanse team from The Junior and Senior School, consisting of Ioannis Ivan Symeonidis, Polina Lebedeva, Anastasia Ioannidou, Ioannis Episkopou, Roma Theocharides, Veronica Kalyvitou and Alexis Kyriakides. With the support of their teachers Michaelina Ioannou and Christine Papapavlou, and their mentor Pantelina Elia, the team created a completely natural mouthwash, which rapidly breaks down oral biofilms (bacteria). This effort is supported by research by professionals in the fields of microbiology, dentistry and pharmacy, as well as supervised laboratory laboratories experiments.
In addition to the main prizes of the competition, the following Signature Awards were also awarded for success in individual areas of entrepreneurship:
Best Trade Fair Booth 1: SEED OF HOPE (Linopetra High School)
Best Trade Fair Booth 2 Earthcup (Apostolos Loukas Regional High School Kolossiou)
Team Spirit Award 1: CHECO (GC School of Careers)
Team Spirit Award 2: Chill&Drink (Pancyprian Gymnasium)
Best Logo: PillBox (Olympion High School)
Sustainability Award: AquaWise (Agios Georgios Lyceum Lakatamia)
Best Digital Communication and Commercial Identity: Sipit (The English School)
Best Pitch: BaeBeSafe (GC School of Careers)
Best Annual Report: GymbroAI (Xenion High School)
Best Promotional Video: GymbroAI (Xenion High School)
Most Innovative Product/Service: Rehair (Pancyprian Gymnasium)
Leadership Award: Paola Ekkeshi, BaeBeSafe (GC School of Careers)
UNESCO Cultural Innovation: Heritage Weave (Agios Neophytos Lyceum Paphos)
UNESCO Praise for the participation at the Finale: “To Σαπούνιν” Grammar School Limassol
The event was honored by the presence of the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Michalis Damianos. On behalf of the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Dr. Athena Michaelidou, Michalis Tsiarlistos, Inspector of Technical Education, addressed a greeting. The Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth honored the 15 Finalist teams for their progress in the competition. Inspector of Secondary General Education, Ziannette Hadjiiosif awarded the teams.
The HerShield team will represent Cyprus at the JA Europe GEN-E 2026 European Competition in July 2026 in Riga, Latvia.
During the event, some additional prizes were awarded. Lanitio Lyceum was named the Entrepreneurial School of the Year 2026. Dr.Drone from the Aspire British Private School and BaeBeSafe from the GC School of Careers were awarded with an educational experience through the European Programme YSBE-NET, funded by the European Commission. The two teams will take part in the European Trade Fair to be held in November 2026 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
In addition, during the event, a ceremony for the Best Campaign was held in the framework of the ” Be the Match – Youth Edition” programme, which was implemented in collaboration with the Karaiskakio Foundation. The campaign aimed to raise awareness by encouraging more young men and women to register as volunteer bone marrow donors. Congratulations to Chrysovalantis Hatzimarkou, Kalia Tsiourtou, Nikoleta Assioti and Katerina Vassou for being awarded 1st prize. The team will continue its campaign at the University of Patras, with the support of the Karaiskakio Foundation.
JA Cyprus Company Programme is supported by:
Strategic Sponsor: PwC Cyprus
Strategic Partner: Youth Board of Cyprus
Partners: MetLife, Coffee Island
Supporters: Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Coca-Cola HBC Cyprus, Amdocs
Institutional Collaborator: Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth
Co-organizer: Research and Innovation Foundation
Road to Gen-E 2026 brings together ideas and teams from school to university. The winning teams will travel to Riga , Latvia in July to represent Cyprus at Gen-E 2026, Europe’s largest youth entrepreneurship scene. You can follow the winning teams’ journey to www.gen-e.eu
JA Cyprus is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the largest global non-profit organization dedicated to educating youth entrepreneurship, empowering young people with entrepreneurship, financial literacy and employability skills.
For more information, visit www.jacyprus.org or contact info@jacyprus.org or 97-715909.
