Over 103,000 Students, 1,288 Schools — and Winners Who Prove That Young Czechs Are Ready for Real Financial Life
EFPA Europe celebrates the remarkable results of the 15th national Financial Literacy Competition, co-organised and guaranteed by EFPA Czech Republic — a landmark edition that broke all previous records and demonstrated the transformative power of practical financial education.
Brussels/Prague, 29 April 2026 — The 15th edition of the national Financial Literacy Competition (Soutěž Finanční gramotnost) has announced its winners, capping a record-breaking year in which 103,072 students from 1,288 schools across the Czech Republic participated. EFPA Europe is delighted to highlight this achievement and to recognise the role of EFPA Czech Republic as academic guarantor of this prestigious competition — a role it fulfils with exceptional consistency and expertise.
The competition, which runs under the patronage of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Czech National Bank, and the First Lady of the Czech Republic Eva Pavlová, challenges student teams to solve real-life financial case studies across three age categories. This year’s winning teams were:
Primary school (lower years): Elementary School and Gymnasium Square s.r.o., Prague — for organising an exemplary class brunch, budgeting all costs from food to decoration and preparation time.
Primary school (upper years): Gymnasium Opatov, Prague 4 — for producing the most balanced family budget for a four-person household on an average regional income, accounting for fixed and variable costs, building reserves, and managing unexpected financial shocks.
Secondary school: Gymnasium, Business Academy and Language School with State Language Examination Rights, Svitavy — for preparing a detailed financial plan for life after graduation, including housing, transport and everyday living costs in Prague.
A special prize from the Ministry of Finance was awarded to a team from ZŠ Pardubice – Polabiny, Prodloužená 283.
The Competition Format: Learning Under Pressure
What distinguishes the Financial Literacy Competition is its design. Teams do not merely study theory — they present case studies and then respond, live, to a critical complication introduced by the jury: an unexpected loss of income, or an unforeseen expense. This stress-testing of financial reasoning mirrors real life and develops skills — adaptability, argumentation, critical thinking — that go far beyond standard classroom instruction.
As Marta Gellová, Chair of the EFPA Czech Republic Council and the competition’s academic guarantor, put it: the aim is to give young people more than knowledge about money — it is to equip them with teamwork, the ability to argue their case, and the capacity to translate theory into solutions for real challenges.
A Milestone: 100,000 Participants
Crossing the threshold of 100,000 participating students is a milestone that EFPA Europe celebrates wholeheartedly. It reflects fifteen years of patient, committed work by EFPA Czech Republic and its partners to make financial literacy an attractive, competitive and rewarding pursuit for young people. The breadth of participation — from primary school pupils planning a class brunch to secondary students modelling the financial realities of independent life — speaks to the competition’s ability to meet young learners where they are.
Czech National Bank Vice-Governor Jan Frait, who has long supported the competition, noted that understanding economic principles is an essential foundation for every citizen, and that the competition has been successfully and consistently spreading this awareness among the youngest generation.
EFPA’s Perspective
EFPA Czech Republic’s role as academic guarantor of the Financial Literacy Competition is not a ceremonial one. It represents a genuine, substantive commitment: ensuring that the competition’s standards are rigorous, that its scenarios reflect real financial challenges, and that its outcomes contribute meaningfully to the financial capability of the next generation of Czech citizens.
This kind of deep, structural involvement in national financial education policy — alongside regulatory bodies, government ministries, schools, foundations and private sector partners — is precisely what EFPA stands for. It demonstrates that a professional association for financial advisers is not solely inward-facing; it has a responsibility to the society it serves.
EFPA Czech Republic embodies that responsibility. Edition after edition, year after year, it shows up — and it delivers. EFPA is proud to have such a committed and impactful member in our family.
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About EFPA: The European Financial Planning Association (EFPA) is the leading pan-European body for the certification and professional development of financial advisers and planners. Through its national member associations, EFPA represents over 100,000 certified financial professionals across Europe.