The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was awarded on 4 October 2022 with the gold Impact Bite 2022 Award (in the category “Document Management & Workflow Award”) for EKPA estories, the digital platform of its History and Contemporary Presence (1837-2021).
EKPA estories, a web hub for 1821, was created around two main axes: the history of EKPA, the oldest university institution in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, and its rich cultural heritage.
EKPA estories includes more than 1200 photographs and archival documents, most of which are available to the research community and the general public for the first time in digitised form. One of its main sections is the permanent digital exhibition of the website, organised in eight extensive thematic sections, important pillars of the history of the NKUA (such as its foundation, identity and ideology, evolution of studies, student communities and movement, its connection with art, etc.). At the same time, an interactive timeline designed in three dimensions brings together all the historical moments of the NKUA to date, while the Map section allows visitors to navigate through the architectural heritage of the NKUA in Athens and the numerous buildings that housed its faculties, laboratories, libraries and other services. In addition, the main building of the NKUA opens its doors with a 360-degree virtual tour. The platform also includes a special presentation on all the university museums and their collections, as well as a short film in which students talk about their own relationship with the NKUA. Finally, the platform informs the visitor about the current activities of the NKUA and regularly hosts different temporary digital exhibitions on themes related to the history and research interests of the institution.
The creation of this digital platform was made possible by research, teaching and administrative members of the NKUA staff, who organized, documented and interpreted the archival and photographic material. Mainsys undertook the technical production of the project. The Scientific Committee of this project consists of: Vangelis Karamanolakis (Head), Marlen Mouliou, Haido Barcoula, Vangelis Papoulias, Dimitris Pavlopoulos, Myrsini Pichou. For the full list of contributors to this project, see https://estories.uoa.gr/syntelestes
The platform was sponsored by the Committee “Greece 2021”, which we would like to thank sincerely.
The platform is accessible in Greek and English (https://estories.uoa.gr/ and https://estories.uoa.gr/en/)
