Two high school students from a small town near Thessaloniki have won Europe’s largest financial literacy competition, beating teams from thirty countries to claim first place at the European Money Quiz finals in Brussels earlier this week.
Sofia Maria Trivyza and Ourania Tetziridou, first-year students at the Mygdonia General High School of Drymos, secured first place in the international competition organized by the European Banking Federation (EBF) alongside national banking associations, including the Hellenic Bank Association (HBA).
The two Greek students clinched the top spot by achieving a perfect score, correctly answering all 30 financial literacy questions in the fastest time. Students from Latvia took second place, while Italy rounded out the top three.
The rigorous competition evaluated participants on essential personal finance management skills, with a heavy focus on:
All competition questions were meticulously drafted in accordance with the OECD/INFE guidelines for financial literacy among adolescents and young adults.
Speaking to Greek state broadcaster ERT, Tetziridou said their participation was almost accidental. “One day in class, Mr Venios had us do a quiz similar to the ones used in the competition, and afterward he told us that the competition actually existed and that anyone who wanted could take part. So we decided to join too. We thought, ‘Why not? We’ve got nothing to lose – let’s give it a try,’” she said, referring to a teacher at their high school, Andreas Venios.
Her teammate described the toughest question of the final. “It was about inflation and who benefits from having savings,” Trivyza told ERT. “The answer is that you don’t always benefit, because the value of your money decreases.”
Reflecting on the achievement, Charoula Apalagaki, Acting Director General of the Hellenic Bank Association, stated:
“For the second time in the last four years, Greece has emerged victorious in the annual pan-European Money Quiz. Our students from Thessaloniki, Sofia Maria Trivyza and Ourania Tetziridou, have made us immensely proud. Their success provides a powerful incentive for us to aggressively expand the Hellenic Bank Association’s pioneering initiatives in financial literacy.”
Launched in 2017, the European Money Quiz is Europe’s largest annual financial education competition for students aged thirteen to fifteen, attracting up to one million plays on the Kahoot platform each year. The competition is a flagship initiative of the EBF and its member banking associations, held contextually during European Money Week to promote financial literacy across the continent.
