Fostering Next-Generation Data Talents: BCAM hosted the AVATAR EUSKADI 2026 competition

The Basque Center for Applied Mathematics (BCAM) has once again teamed up with regional academic institutions to inspire the next generation of data scientists through the latest edition of the "Incubadora de sondeos y experimentos" (Incubator of Surveys and Experiments) competition, now called “AVATAR Euskadi 2026: Discovering Statistics in the Land of Data. The initiative seeks to expand students' knowledge and competences, highlighting the practical usefulness of data across all academic disciplines. The project aims to spark a newfound interest in STEM subjects from an early age.

Co-organized alongside the Department of Mathematics at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and running in close cooperation with the Basque Statistics Institute (Eustat), this annual contest invites students from across the Basque Country to put their analytical skills to the test. The competition targets a wide range of educational tracks, including compulsory secondary education (ESO), high school (Bachillerato), and intermediate vocational training programs (Ciclos Formativos de Grado Medio).

Following a rigorous evaluation process, the highly anticipated awards ceremony took place on May 21st, celebrating the outstanding analytical projects submitted by local schools. This year’s top honors went entirely to brilliant teams from the Bizkaia region across three key educational categories:

• 1st and 2nd Year ESO: Aixerrota BHI (Bizkaia)
• 3rd and 4th Year ESO: Askartza Claret (Bizkaia)
• Bachillerato: Durango BHI (Bizkaia)

We congratulate the winners—IES Aixerrota BHI and IES Durango BHI—on reaching the national finals, which will be held in Gran Canaria this June. Congratulations!

To maintain high academic and objective standards, a specialized jury panel composed of leading local researchers was tasked with assessing the student submissions. The evaluating committee featured Leticia Hernando (EHU), Mikel Bilbao Gómez (EUSTAT), Fernándo García García (BCAM), Silvia Marcaida (EHU), Virginia Muto (EHU), and Ana Mª Valle (EHU).

Through continuous outreach initiatives like this competition, BCAM and its partners remain dedicated to igniting a passion for Statistics, Probability, and Operations Research early in students' educational journeys, proving that data science is both accessible and vital for the future.