A new learning app created by four Lithuanian schoolgirls has won the national EU Code Week Hackathon — and now they are heading to the European stage.
The team “Rami galva” (“Calm Mind”) took first place with “IšmokAI”, a free learning app designed to make studying clearer, more effective and far less chaotic. On 11 March, they will represent Lithuania in the European #CodeWeek Hackathon Final, pitching their working solution to an international jury.
A real problem, turned into a real solution
Learning can be hard — especially when information feels messy, motivation drops, and AI tools return unreliable results. The idea for IšmokAI began with a familiar classroom frustration: history lessons that felt unclear, and the experience of AI tools pulling inaccurate dates and facts from untrustworthy sources.
So the team decided to build something better: an app that helps learners study with reliable, structured information — and suggests the best learning method depending on the topic and the learner’s focus.
“Our app IšmokAI supports a more effective learning process and better results. It helps prepare for tests and exams, and to learn a new topic. A clear structure helps you understand the subject better, which also increases motivation. The app is suitable for pupils, students, teachers — and anyone looking for ways to learn something new. It’s free to download, which makes its social impact even greater.”
Meet the winning team
The IšmokAI app was created by four students from Alytus, Vilnius and Telšiai:
- Austėja Bartkevičiūtė (Alytaus Adolfo Ramanausko-Vanago Gymnasium)
- Vlada Telesina (Vilnius Sholom Aleichem ORT Gymnasium)
- Andžela Lenkauskaitė (Telšiai Germantas Progymnasium)
- Ivita Barysaitė (Vilnius Laisvės Gymnasium)
What makes IšmokAI stand out?
The app helps learners study smarter by combining trusted content with practical learning techniques:
- Supports preparation for tests and exams
- Structures information using reliable sources
- Recommends learning methods such as Pomodoro, Active Recall, and more
- Takes motivation and attention span into account, helping users learn in manageable steps
- Designed for pupils, students, teachers, and anyone learning a new topic
- Free to download, increasing its potential social impact
The team’s goal is simple: one place where learners can understand what to study, how to study it, and how to stay on track.
Aligned with the European theme: “From Code to Community”
The jury recognised IšmokAI as the best national solution because it is:
- working and already tested
- useful and validated by students
- tackling a real challenge in education
- strongly aligned with this year’s European theme: “From Code to Community: Digital Skills and Social Impact.”
A hackathon full of ideas with social impact
Lithuania’s EU Code Week Hackathon invited teams of 14–19-year-old students to explore how digital technologies and AI can help solve challenges across five key areas:
- the future of work
- healthcare
- agriculture
- sustainability
- education
“The EU Code Week Hackathon shows how digital skills can be used to create change, bring social benefit to the community, and contribute to improving our lives.”
Other finalist apps celebrated at the national final
The national final also highlighted four more impressive youth-built solutions:
Plantiful (Team: “Init for the cookies”) — Sustainable community
Team Innit for the cookies
A gardening and sustainability app encouraging people to grow plants locally, supported by an “AI grandma”, with a forum for sharing tips, recipes, and (in future) donating surplus produce.
HealthAhead (Team: “Coder Cats”) — Responsible living
Team Coder Cats
A health app that reminds users about preventative health checks and helps families track what tests are needed, when, and why — promoting the idea that “health starts before symptoms”.
Potrimpo (Team: “Šunažolės”) — Harmonious connection
Team Šunažolės
An app encouraging young people to spend more time outdoors, explore nature, and build awareness of environmental issues by scanning plants and building a virtual “island” of discoveries.
Fiturum (Team: “Futurum”) — Youth power
Team Futurum
A free AI-powered sports app that creates personalised training plans and adapts as the user progresses — designed to tackle common barriers like low motivation and not knowing where to start.
Supporting young creators
The hackathon was supported by a mentoring team including Dovilė Daulenskienė, Justina Valentukevičė, and Neda Žutautaitė, who helped participants shape their ideas, plan development, and present solutions for different audiences.
Neda Žutautaitė, Chair of the jury and Director of the “Knowledge Economy Forum”, highlighted the value of initiatives like this in connecting young people’s digital skills with real-world challenges — from wellbeing and education to sustainability and healthy living.
Next stop: the European Final on 11 March
On 11 March, the Lithuanian winners will compete online in the European Final against national hackathon winners from Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Ukraine, France, Spain, and Slovenia.
Lithuania has already shown strong results in previous years — and this year, the team “Rami galva” is ready to make their mark.
Let’s cheer them on — and celebrate every young creator using technology to drive positive change. 🇱🇹💙
Read the original article (Lithuanian):
https://www.epilietis.eu/…/programele-ismokai…/
With thanks to ESET for supporting the hackathon with a prize: the cybersecurity card game “kiberNODAS”.
