We started STEM Games wanting to create a student competition in which future engineers could challenge their knowledge and compete in sports while having fun and learning. We know that true knowledge and skills cannot be properly demonstrated by solving simple tests and that it is necessary to use them for solving problems. We know that engineers don’t work alone, they need others who think the same way. However, knowledge is just one part of the picture made whole by adding sports, education, and, of course, fun.

With a lot of effort and people who believed in our vision, we created the first STEM Games you could see in Poreč, in May 2018. Our sponsors supported us a lot and they showed us that they trusted us, and we can’t thank them enough: Croatia Osiguranje for being the general sponsor of the first ever STEM Games, thematic sponsors AVL-AST, VIPnet (now A1), and Fraunhofer ITWM.

Four STEM Games Arenas - Science Arena, Technology Arena, Engineering Arena, and Mathematics Arena have redefined the concept of knowledge competition. In order to make it happen, tireless and hardworking teams (composed of professors, assistants, and students) created problems, turned them into stories, brought them to students, mentored competitors, and assessed the solutions.

The sports competition was particularly popular thanks to the fact that students competed against their colleagues in nine disciplines - and it was all possible because of our team of over 40 volunteers.

Lectures, workshops, and the panel discussion enriched STEM Games' program and the team responsible for this part of the program had created amazing content despite the difficult conditions they were working in.

In order to present STEM Games in all its glory, a lot of hard work had been done behind the scenes by volunteers from the logistics team and the marketing and communications team. They were doing their best so the participants could enjoy and experience one of the biggest student competitions in sports and knowledge.

Organizational partner of the first STEM Games was the student association KSET, whose members, just like the whole STEM Games' team, volunteered to help the organization. They took their extensive experience in running their club and turned it into a fun program (which was probably just as fun as beach parties’). Members of their photo and video sections have captured so many special moments it is hard to choose the best ones. Music and Tech sections brought sound and color to the Games and resolved occasional problems. We also need to mention all other volunteers who were willing to help and give their full support to the Games' program.

Many people have been working hard for STEM Games 2018 to become a positive place for our students, and we want to sincerely thank them.

What can we expect from STEM Games in 2019? We can’t reveal much for now, but we can say it will be bigger and better, open to all students who wish to compete, hang out, and meet; for those who want more - we are going to open call for volunteers soon, so feel free to join us and be a part of the team that will create STEM Games 2019!

Update: find out everything about open call here!