1. Presentation & Scope
The School Innovation Award is an initiative organized by Associação Benfazer, under the scope of Repair Café Algarve, aimed at secondary and vocational students to study and invent sustainable solutions against waste.
Benfazer is a non-profit association based in Loulé, committed to social justice, conscious consumption, and environmental and animal protection. Consequently, applications that directly depend on animal exploitation, animal-derived materials/ingredients, or vermicomposting are strictly excluded.
2. Thematic Areas
- Electronic waste: rethinking production systems and design at the source (preventing waste before it occurs, not only working on circularity or recycling), alongside fast diagnosis, modular design, digital repair tools, and giving a second life to components.
- Textile waste: rethinking production and manufacturing at the source (beyond post-consumer circularity or recycling), upcycling, fibre recovery, circular garments, and repurposing school uniforms and clothes.
- Food waste: rethinking supply and production chains at the root (proactively avoiding waste rather than merely managing leftovers and circularity), reduction in canteens and kitchens, natural preservation, and revalorization of vegetable surplus.
- Editorial & promotional waste: rethinking graphic production and promotional formats at the source (avoiding superfluous materials and print runs, beyond recycling), reuse of canvas banners, outdoor posters, flags, and flyers, and textbook restoration.
3. Project Structure
Teams submit their proposal via the digital platform in PDF / Project Dossier format, including: identification (project, team, members, supervising teacher, and school); specific problem; proposed solution; and continuous improvement plan.
4. Teams, Teachers & Schools
- Target audience: secondary school and vocational education students.
- Teams composed of 2 to 5 students.
- Each team must have 1 supervising teacher (a teacher may mentor multiple teams).
- A school may enter multiple teams, with no cap on entries.
5. Finalist Selection & Jury
Phase 1: Associação Benfazer reviews project dossiers and shortlists finalist teams. Phase 2: In-person evaluation by a guest panel of judges during the Repair Algarve Fair, featuring a 5-minute pitch per team.
The jury includes representatives from Benfazer / Repair Café Algarve, University of the Algarve, Algarve Live Science Centre, Loulé Municipality, and the business/environmental sector.
6. Timeline & Calendar
Edition dates are announced on the official Award page.
7. Awards
The winning team is awarded an overall prize of €2,500 (two thousand five hundred euros), provided as an available credit:
- Joint decision-making: The winning team — including both students and the supervising teacher — has full decision-making power to identify and decide how and where this amount will be spent.
- Allocation: The funds may be used to finance equipment or services for the school and/or allocated directly to group members (students and teacher) for investments relevant to their studies or personal life.
- Disbursement method (no cash payout): The prize is never transferred in cash or wired into anyone's personal bank account. Instead, the organization directly purchases and ships the chosen goods or services (for example, sending a computer, printer, or specialized equipment to designated addresses or to the school).
- Thematic alignment: All investments must align with the award’s themes (sustainability, repair, circular economy, and waste prevention).
- Official recognition: Delivery of the official Trophy made from reclaimed materials, as well as certificates for all members and the school.
8. Intellectual Property
Intellectual property belongs entirely to the authors (students and teachers). Benfazer reserves only the non-commercial right to exhibit, publish, and photograph projects as part of the Fair and to promote non-profit environmental activities.
9. Disclaimer of Liability
The organization declines liability for material damage, loss, or theft; personal accidents (student safety is the responsibility of participants, parents/guardians, and schools); third-party IP disputes; and force majeure disruptions or external technical submission errors.
Contact: email@repaircafealgarve.pt