On 23 October 2025, the third edition of “Viva Marga – Margherita Hack e la Luna” competition opened in Gorizia celebrating the legacy of the renowned Italian astrophysicist and her pioneering role in opening the world of science to women and younger generations.
The CEI was pleased to support the launch of this initiative and help increase the participation of schools across its Member States, encouraging youth engagement with science and creativity, and fostering people-to-people contact.
The morning programme took place at the University of Trieste’s Gorizia campus, followed by guided tours of the Transalpina Square/Trg Evrope and a twentieth-century Gorizia exhibition for students in the afternoon.
Over 1,000 students and teachers from 29 schools in Trieste, Gorizia and Florence are taking part in this edition, including ten Italian[1] schools from the CEI countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia.
As part of the competition, participating classes from lower and upper secondary schools shall elaborate creative works inspired by Margherita Hack and her relationship with the Moon, thus combining science, art, and historical memory. These works can be short videos, poems, essays, visual artworks such as drawings, posters or installations, podcasts or comics.
Promoted by the Italian cultural voluntary association Radici & Futuro, and organised in cooperation with leading scientific institutions including INAF and SISSA, the project aims to acquaint young people with STEM/STEAM subjects on the one hand, and with the values of cross-border cooperation within the GO!2025 Nova Gorica–Gorizia context on the other.
The project as a whole fosters education, scientific outreach and equal opportunities among youth, as well as values such as overcoming boundaries and cultural barriers, cooperation and the culture of peace.
For more info: radovanovic@cei.int
[1] Italian schools and schools with Italian as a taught language
