On 13th April, Dr Carl Camilleri, Chairman of the Malta Statistics Authority, was an honoured guest at the Data Smackdown Competition Awards Ceremony. This was the second edition of this nationwide statistical competition, organised by the National Statistics Office.
In his ceremonial speech at the University of Malta campus in Valletta, he presented Data Smackdown as both a competition and a broader initiative to promote statistical literacy and the effective use of data. He emphasised that understanding and communicating statistics helps people move beyond headlines, question assumptions, and make informed decisions about social, economic, and global issues such as employment, health, migration, and living standards.
The Chairman highlighted the importance of building a society that can engage confidently with data, particularly in an era of misinformation. Data Smackdown was also presented as a way to make STEM and statistics engaging and practical, showing participants—especially younger ones—that data is a powerful tool for storytelling, insight, and real-world problem-solving, not just theory.
The speech underlined the Malta Statistics Authority’s ongoing commitment to data engagement through education, collaboration, and outreach beyond this single event. It also reflected on the expanding role of statisticians across government, industry, and research, and the opportunities this creates for innovation in official statistics, data quality, modern data sources, and clear communication.
He concluded by thanking the participants and organisers, and by encouraging the continued responsible use of data for the public good, strengthening trust in evidence and informed public debate.
Following a comprehensive evaluation by the jurors, the winners of this year’s Data Smackdown competition have been announced, with teams assessed on presentation quality, depth of analysis, and the strength of their conclusions:
Category A: Post-secondary — 1st place: G.F. Abela Junior College; 2nd place: St Aloysius College; 3rd place: St Aloysius College.
Category B: Secondary — 1st place: St Aloysius College; 2nd place: St Monica College; 3rd place: St Joseph School.
