Naturgy Foundation involves young people in improving the planet through innovation and energy efficiency
This school competition aims to motivate and create awareness and interest in energy from an early age, fostering technological vocations, reinforcing the research capacity of young people, awakening their curiosity and creativity, as well as encouraging teamwork and communication skills.
The Naturgy Foundation has launched a new edition of the Efigy Technology Contest for the 2025-2026 academic year. This is the 8th edition of the initiative aimed at 3rd and 4th year secondary students throughout Spain. It seeks to involve young people in improving the planet through innovation and energy efficiency.
The goal of this recognition is to motivate and create awareness and interest in energy from an early age, fostering technological and scientific vocations, reinforcing the research capacity of young people, awakening their curiosity and creativity, as well as encouraging teamwork and communication skills.
Participating students must solve a challenge that contributes to improving the environmental health of the planet and is linked to issues such as air quality in cities, energy efficiency, energy innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, energy transition, new technologies, sustainable mobility or energy consulting in vulnerable environments.
The deadline for entries is 15 January 2026. Semi-finalist groups selected by a panel of experts will defend their proposals at an event in May next year, where the finalists and winners will be chosen.
A wide-ranging school contest
The Efigy Technology Contest, which celebrates its eighth edition this year, is a consolidated initiative in the national educational agenda. The general manager of the Naturgy Foundation, María Eugenia Coronado, stresses that “the success of the Efigy Technology Contest lies in the efforts of the students who, each year, present innovative technological projects, which are so necessary to continue increasing energy efficiency and ensuring a just transition for all”. Coronado recalls that “the aim of this initiative is to create a learning environment that favours access to specialised knowledge and the promotion of STEAM vocations, so that together we can ensure a just energy transition and make progress in the sustainability of the planet”.
During its seven editions, more than 11,800 3rd and 4th year secondary students from 130 schools in 12 autonomous regions have taken part in the Efigy Technology Contest . In total, more than 400 projects on energy efficiency have been assessed, which have aroused the interest of the social networks, obtaining more than 177,000 views for the different finalist projects.
Projects submitted are assessed by a technical panel made up of five specialised profiles belonging to institutions and entities of recognised prestige related to the subject matter of the contest, such as the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Institute for Just Transition of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), as well as Naturgy and the Naturgy Foundation.
In addition to rewarding the most feasible, best communicated and most innovative initiative, this call has a Special Mention awarded by renowned scientist María del Rosario Heras, PhD in Physics and Emeritus Researcher at the Centre for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT).
The Efigy Technology Contest is part of the Efigy Education Programme, through which the Naturgy Foundation offers a wide range of training in the field of climate change and new energy technologies, with more than one million beneficiaries since 2018. This programme has the recognition and collaboration of leading institutions in the field of education and research, such as the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, the FECYT, ITJ and CSIC.
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