16. July 2025

Experimental competition

The final round of the chemistry competition for year 9 pupils took place at the HSZG.

Pupils in white coats stand in the laboratory and conduct experiments.
Photo: Liebner/Jeschke Teams of students competed for a good ranking in chemical calculations and experimental tasks in the laboratory.

On June 17, 2025, the final round of the 9th-grade chemistry competition took place on the premises of the Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences. This competition is organized and conducted annually in cooperation with the State Office for Schools and Education—Bautzen branch—and the Chemistry Department at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.

The student teams that had prevailed in the first round of the competition at their respective high schools competed in the lab on chemistry calculations and experimental tasks to achieve the best possible good ranking. This year, student teams from the following schools qualified for the final round:

  • Schiller High School, Bautzen
  • Ferdinand-Sauerbruch High School, Großröhrsdorf
  • Gotthold-Ephraim-Lessing High School, Kamenz
  • Humboldt High School, Radeberg (2 teams)
  • Landau High School, Weißwasser
  • Immanuel Kant High School, Wilthen
  • Christian Weise High School, Zittau
Pupils in white coats stand in the laboratory and conduct experiments.
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Students are sitting at tables in the seminar room, working on examination records.
Pupils in white coats stand in the laboratory and conduct experiments.
A laboratory employee supervises an experiment with fire in the laboratory.
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In the end, the team from Zittau narrowly came out on top. They were followed by a team from Radeberg and the team from Bautzen. Ultimately, however, all participants could feel like winners, because the joy of scientific work and experimentation was always in the foreground.

After the award ceremony and presentation of prizes to all teams, a short experimental lecture with numerous interesting show experiments was held for the pupils and guests. The chemical background of the experiments was also explained to the audience.

A lab employee and a student make ice cream in the seminar room.
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Pupils work on learning tasks at tables in the seminar room.
Experimental arrangements are set up on tables in the seminar room. The podium in front of the blackboard is covered with aluminum foil and an experimental setup is set up on it.
Steam and a small ball of fire rise during an experiment in the seminar room.
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We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the high school students, the participating college students and staff at HSZG, as well as to the chemistry guidance teacher, Frank Liebner, who, as usual, took charge of organizing the competition.

In addition to the State Office for Schools and Education and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, the event was supported by the Chemical Industry Fund (FCI) and the German Chemical Society (GDCh).

Text: Matthias Jeschke
Photos: Frank Liebner, Matthias Jeschke

Matthias Jeschke
Ihre Ansprechperson
Diplom in Chemistry (University of Applied Sciences)
Matthias Jeschke
m.jeschke(at)hszg.de
Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences
02763 Zittau
Külzufer 2
Building Z VI, Room K 04
1st basement floor
+49 3583 612-4714