East Java wins overall title at national FIKSI for the first time

Surabaya (ANTARA) - East Java has won the overall title at the 2026 Indonesian Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Festival (FIKSI) for the first time, collecting 18 medals: six gold, seven silver and five bronze.

“Thank God, our students have once again achieved an outstanding result at FIKSI. This shows they have the determination and readiness to compete as the entrepreneurs of the future,” East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said in a statement received in Surabaya on Monday.

East Java took first place, followed by Jakarta, with five gold and two bronze medals. The Special Region of Yogyakarta came third with three gold, four silver and four bronze medals.

Khofifah said the achievement was in line with the East Java provincial government’s commitment to strengthening entrepreneurship in schools through its Double Track programme and the development of industry-based vocational high schools (SMKs).

“We are not only producing graduates who are ready to work, but also young innovators who can create new jobs, become economically self-reliant and make a real difference to society,” she said.

East Java Education Agency head Aries Agung Paewai said the achievement was supported by three stages of mentoring, or coaching clinics, involving experts, schools, cross-institutional partners and students’ parents.

The mentoring covered developing ideas, refining reports and practising presentations before the judges. A training camp was also held to strengthen participants’ mental preparedness and confidence.

Aries added that FIKSI 2026 integrates the green, creative and digital economies as foundations for developing businesses that address the needs of society.

“Future entrepreneurs are not only those who can generate profit, but also those who offer concrete solutions to social and ecological problems,” he said.

Aries said he hoped the achievement would encourage East Java students to keep innovating and growing their businesses until they reached local and international markets.