By writing a short story, children and adolescents become receptive to science and overcome prejudices against chemistry: this is the idea behind the writing competition “The Chemistry of words”, organized by the Spanish subsidiary of the Zschimmer & Schwarz Group, Zschimmer & Schwarz España. The proposal came from Lluïsa Lladó, employee at Zschimmer & Schwarz España, and was implemented in collaboration with the Valencian company Mundo Arti, which took care of the reception of the micro-stories. A total of 126 children and adolescents aged between 6 and 16 from Castellón, Valencia and Alicante took part. They submitted short stories with a maximum of 50 words inspired by the term “chemistry”. A jury consisting of employees from Zschimmer & Schwarz España selected the best stories in three age categories. As a prize, the winners received a gift card for a local shopping center. 

“Writing short stories stimulates the imagination and helps participants to think about the positive impact of chemistry in their daily lives”, says Lluïsa Lladó, explaining her idea for the project. “The aim of the competition is to show that chemistry is exciting and understandable and to motivate young people to discover it creatively. Choosing the winning stories was not easy! They all show impressive literary talent and a great sensitivity for the connection between science and everyday life.”

The donation campaign of Zschimmer & Schwarz was initiated by the shareholders and is now an integral part of the company's social commitment. It takes place every two years and entered its third round in 2024. All employees have the opportunity to suggest local initiatives to be supported by the company with a donation.

The writing competition “The Chemistry of words” is one of 39 projects across Europe, North and South America as well as Asia supported by Zschimmer & Schwarz as part of the donation campaign with a total sum of around 350,000 euros. “For more than 130 years, our family company Zschimmer & Schwarz has consistently laid the focus of our activities on our fellow human beings. With this philosophy, we aim to give something valuable back to society”, explains Dr. Monica Börner, shareholder of the Zschimmer & Schwarz Group. “We are happy to support initiatives of our employees and to involve ourselves in projects that deliver direct and sustainable effects at our business locations”, adds Thomas Schwarz, also shareholder of Zschimmer & Schwarz.