The results of the national short film student competition “The Heroic Exodus of the Free Besieged of Messolonghi in 1826” are announced. The competition was organized by the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the Special Synodical Committee on Cultural Identity of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, on the occasion of the 200^th anniversary of this historic event.

Students of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades of middle school were asked to create videos inspired by one of the following figures from the period of the Second Siege (1825–1826) and the heroic Exodus of the Free Besieged of Messolonghi:

1. Bishop Joseph of Roga, National Martyr
2. The notable Christos Kapsalis
3. Ioannis Iakovos Meyer (Swiss Philhellene and publisher of the Greek Chronicles)
4. Tasoula Gyftogianni (heroine of the Second Siege of Messolonghi)
5. Ioannis Papadiamantopoulos

Five (5) Awards and three (3) Honorary Mentions are granted as follows:

AWARDS to students of the following schools:

• 31st Middle School of Thessaloniki – “Tasoula Gyftogianni – Heroine of the Second Siege of Messolonghi”
• Model Ecclesiastical Middle School– Model Ecclesiastical High School of the Patmias Ecclesiastical School – “Christos Kapsalis: The Spirit of Freedom”
• 5th Middle School of Alexandroupoli “Eleni Filippidi”-“The Girl with the Vest -Tasoula Gyftogianni”
• Private Middle School I. Tsiamoulis – “Tasoula Gyftogianni: The Heroine of Messolonghi”
• Private Middle School I. Tsiamoulis – “Johann–Jakob Meyer: The Fighter of the Pen”

HONORARY MENTIONS to students of the following schools:

• 1st Model Middle School with High School Classes of Preveza – “From Solomos to the Present: An Ode to Tasoula Gyftogianni”
• 2nd Day  Middle School of Elliniko “Elli Alexiou” – “The Silent Heroine”
• 2nd Day Middle School of Elliniko “Elli Alexiou” – “When Faith Fights…”

A total of twenty-three (23) students from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades of Middle School will participate in an educational visit to the Holy City of Messolonghi, accompanied by their teachers.

The General Secretariat for Religious Affairs congratulates all students who participated in the competition, the teachers who effectively supported the entire effort, and, in particular, the students’ parents.

The Secretary General for Religious Affairs, Mr Georgios Kalantzis, visited His Beatitude the Archbishop of New Justiniana and All Cyprus, Georgios, on Thursday, March 12, 2026.

During the meeting, discussions focused on further strengthening the cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports and the Church of Cyprus, and in particular the organization of joint student activities with the ecclesiastical schools of Greece, in order to increase the number of student educational visits to Cyprus.

The General Secretariat for Religious Affairs wishes Muslims a month of Ramadan filled with love, charity and good deeds.

Organizations or associations in areas of the country where no Muslim prayer spaces are in operation are invited to contact their local municipalities in order to request enclosed spaces that will serve as prayer areas.

Given the operation of the Athens Islamic Mosque, there is no need for the Municipality of Athens and neighboring municipalities to provide additional spaces for prayer.

Furthermore, a relevant ministerial decision has been approved by the Central Archaeological Council of the Ministry of Culture and is currently being drafted, regarding the use of the Suleymaniye Mosque in Rhodes by the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs for the celebration of Eid al-Fitr on March 20.

To better inform public services, organizations and private individuals who may be involved in facilitating the religious duties of Muslim citizens during Ramadan, it is reminded that during the fasting period (approximately from sunrise to sunset), eating and drinking any food or liquid is not permitted, (there are exceptions detailed separately), while prayer times are not uniform across the country but vary. For example, the prayer times for six (6) regions of the country are listed below, as submitted to the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs by the Athens Islamic Mosque, the Muftiates of Thrace, and the Waqf Property Management Organizations of Kos and Rhodes.

Attached are the prayer times for the month of Ramadan:

Ramadan Times for Athens here

Ramadan Times for Didymoteicho here

Ramadan Times for Komotini here

Ramadan Times for Xanthi here

Ramadan Times for Kos here

Ramadan Times for Rhodes here

Following the completion of the evaluation process by the competent committee, the results of the 2nd Student Competition for the creation of a historical narrative and poster on the theme “Asia Minor – Pontus: Memories” for the 2025–2026 school year were announced.

The winners and honorees of the competition, organized by the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, in collaboration with the Special Synodical Committee on Cultural Identity of the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece and the Chair of Pontic Studies of the Department of History and Archaeology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, will participate in an educational visit to the regional unit of Magnesia, to sites related to the Greek history and culture of Pontus and Asia Minor.

Three (3) Awards and Honorary Mentions per category are granted as follows:

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE – AWARDS

1. American Agricultural School of Thessaloniki-“The Bloodstained Headscarf”
2. 11^th General High School of Patras-“Mom, is hide-and-seek over?”
3. 1^st Vocational High School of Kardamyla, Livadia-“The Stones Speak”

POSTER – AWARDS

1. 1st High School of Oreokastro -“The Melody of Memory”
2. 49th General High School of Athens-“Le clocher de l’ église Ste Photini-Unforgettable Homelands”
3. Private High School I. Tsiamoulis-“All That Fits in a Boat”

HISTORICAL NARRATIVE – HONORARY MENTIONS

1. 1st Vocational High School of Aspropyrgos-“Carriage 7”
2. Mantoulidi Schools-“Haunted Memories”
3. 4th General High School of Aigaleo-“Words: Light in My Darkness”
4. 1st Vocational High School of Aspropyrgos-“Tears of the East”
5. LIVANIO 1st Vocational High School of Kardamyla-“Memories Through the Flames”

Tie between 3a, 3b and 3c.

POSTER – HONORARY MENTIONS

1. Echedoros High School-“ From the ashes of Smyrna to the embrace of memory”
2. Tsiamoulis Private High School-“The Mother of Smyrna”
3. 2nd Echedoros High School “Oh, my burnt mother”
4. Delasalle Private High School of Thessaloniki-“Genocide and uprooting of the Hellenism of the East”

Tie between 3a and 3b

During the 2025–2026 school year, sixty-six (66) valid entries were submitted from thirty-eight (38) schools from the Regional Directorates of Education of Attica, Central Macedonia, the Peloponnese, and the North Aegean, specifically from the Secondary Education Directorates of A’, B’, C’ and D of Athens, East Attica, West Attica, Piraeus, East Thessaloniki, West Thessaloniki, Arcadia, Achaia, Ilia, Corinth, and Chios.

The General Secretariat for Religious Affairs would like to warmly thank and congratulate all participants for their remarkable and interesting projects they presented, as well as the teachers for their responsiveness and support of their students. The efforts of all are commendable and demonstrate the creativity and sensitivity of today’s children.