On Thursday, March 12, 2026, the final round of the “March 25” Oratory Competition for High School Grade 2 students took place at the Athens College Theater. Odysseas-Dimitrios Lymperopoulos was awarded the “March 25” Prize for the 2025–2026 school year, while Matthaios Zabikos earned second place in the competition.

Students delivered speeches on the following topic:

“Education is essential for the fulfillment of freedom. A state that is not founded on education is a house built on sand (…) Knowledge is the light that pierces the darkness of doubt and leads humanity to the gateway of truth and freedom.”

—Adamantios Korais, Article 23.

“ The shared affirmation and certainty of every citizen lies in the collective action of all citizens. That is, we must reflect that when one suffers any wrong, all are affected, and to this end, we must assure each person of the protection and safeguarding of their rights. This certainty is founded on the self-determination of the nation; that is, the entire nation is wronged when a single citizen is wronged.”

—Rigas Velestinlis, New Political Administration, Vienna: 1797.

Examine education as a fundamental prerequisite for the formation of free citizens from the Revolution of 1821 to the present day.

The panel of judges consisted of: Dr. Stefanos Kavallierakis, Historian, Author, Professor at the Training Institute of the National Center for Public Administration, and at the National School of Public Administration; Ms. Konstantina E. Botsiou, Professor of History and International Relations at the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus; and Mr. Loukas P. Christodoulou, Chair of the Steering Committee of the Center for the Study and Promotion of Asia Minor Culture of Nea Ionia (KEMIPO).

The students who qualified for the final round of the Competition were:

1. Kamarinopoulou Zacharoula

2. Lymperopoulos Odysseas-Dimitrios

3. Rota Maria

4. Tzedaki Paraskevi

5. Zabikos Matthaios

The following students had qualified for the semifinal round of the competition:

1. Gavrilou Adriani

2. Georgiou Dimitrios

3. Leontidis Filippos-Leon

4. Pefani Alexandra

5. Tsakonas Kyros-Ioannis-Konstantinos

Congratulations to all students who participated in both the final and semifinal rounds of the competition.