More than 300 students from 26 schools throughout Spain have participated in a contest of essay promoted by the group 'Science, Reason and Faith' (CRYF) of the University of Navarra around the topic 'Relations between science on the origin of the universe and the religious teaching of creation'. The competition is framed in a project of research of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

group The first prize of 3,000 euros, award, went to a group of students from high school Pinoalbar (Valladolid), formed by Claudia Muñoz Pombo, Blanca Ojanguren García and Eugenia Rodríguez Rodríguez-Sáinz. The work is entitled 'Einstein, black holes and the fifth dimension: a rereading of the origin and structure of the cosmos in Interstellar'.

From agreement with the jury, the winning team "has been able to combine originality and depth both in the presentation and in the content". It has also highlighted its reflection "on the temporal dimension of the universe from the perspective of current science, with financial aid of cinematographic language" and its ability "to establish a dialogue with the sense of time offered by the Christian revelation on creation".

award Judith Villegas Peñalber and Ainoa Cuesta López, from high school Pineda (Barcelona) were awarded the second prize of 2,000 euros for their essay 'El universo a partir de la nada o de un Dios?And the third award, worth 1,000 euros, was awarded to Alberto Molina Gutiérrez, from high school Los Robles (Asturias), who presented 'La existencia de Dios a través de las distintas visiones del tiempo' (The existence of God through the different visions of time).

Two special mentions of 500 euros each were also awarded. The first went to Julia Audisio Ródenas, Victoria Carbonell Sánchez and Nazaret Martínez Carcelén, from high school Nelva (Murcia), for 'What the world thinks of the world'. Sabela Fernández Vázquez, from high school Las Acacias (Vigo), received the second prize for 'In a space with n dimensions... Where do we find God?

project Science and religion in Spanish schools'.

This second edition of competition is part of project 'Science and religion in Spanish schools', funded by the John Templeton Foundation. It is directed by Javier Sánchez Cañizares, director of the CRYF and researcher of the group 'Mind-Brain' of the ICS; and Rubén Herce, member of the CRYF and professor of the School Eclesiastic of Philosophy.

In each of the three academic years covered by the initiative, one topic will be studied: the origin of the universe and creation (2018-2019), evolution and divine action in the world (2019-2020) and the origin and specificity of man (2020-2021). These questions are proposed in the corresponding editions of the competition.

The competition is promoted by the project 'Education, Science and Religion' of the CRYF. It seeks to analyze the problems perceived in this area by students and teachers, in order to try to provide possible solutions in the short, medium and long term deadline. It also aims to draw up a map of the main narratives on God and religion used so far in science subjects, to create a permanent group of teachers who will periodically address the fundamental pedagogical problems that arise when presenting a worldview where science and faith offer points of contact, and to begin preparing specific materials for science and religion courses in Spanish, which can be included in the curricula of high school diploma.