Credit: STATEC

Luxembourg's statistical institute, STATEC, has invited students aged fourteen to eighteen to take part in the European Statistics Competition Photo Contest.

STATEC described the competition as "a unique opportunity" to combine photography, creativity and statistical data.

The European Statistics Competition (ESC) is a European contest organised by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU). It aims to stimulate students' curiosity and interest in statistics. The ESC is open to secondary school students, who compete through a variety of challenges, including solving statistical exercises, searching for information and producing analyses.

This year's theme is "The norm is the exception", inviting students to question what is considered "normal": averages, standards, stereotypes and preconceived ideas.

By combining statistics and imagery, participants can highlight the gap between common perception and measured reality.

The contest aims to enable students to:

  • raise awareness of social stereotypes and prejudices;
  • develop critical thinking about norms and popular beliefs;
  • use statistics as a tool for understanding;
  • value the reliability and transparency of official data.

Students may, for example:

  • challenge a social norm or an average;
  • denounce or illustrate a stereotype;
  • represent human, cultural, physical or behavioural diversity.

In terms of what is expected, participants must create a poster illustrating a contrast between a preconceived idea or prejudice and reality as measured by reliable statistical data.

The poster must include:

  • an original photo taken by the group (no stock images, no AI);
  • a creative integration of data (charts, visualisations, infographics);
  • a title and a short explanatory text (max. 150 words).

Projects will be assessed based on:

  • clarity and relevance of the message;
  • originality and creativity;
  • quality of data visualisation;
  • artistic quality (composition, lighting, overall aesthetics);
  • clarity of the title and text.

The deadline to participate is 11:59 on Wednesday 25 February 2026.

For further information, visit: https://statistiques.public.lu/en/actualites/2026/esc-concours-photo-2026.html