Limassol, Cyprus. A team of nine students from St Mary’s School has secured third place in the upper-secondary category of the JA Europe of the Year 2026 competition with HerShield, a lip gloss containing concealed drink-testing strips.
The competition was held at GEN-E in Riga, Latvia, from July 7 to 10, where Slovakia’s Lipigo won first place and Greece’s Enalion finished second.
European competition
GEN-E brought together national champions from across Europe to present their ideas to business leaders, investors, educators and international judges. The event is organised by JA Europe and is described as Europe’s largest youth entrepreneurship festival.
The award places the Cypriot student company among Europe’s leading student-led businesses.
Product design
HerShield resembles and functions as an ordinary lip gloss, but its casing includes a concealed compartment containing five drink-testing strips.
Each strip has two testing pads, onto which drops from a drink can be placed. A colour change may indicate the presence of substances associated with drink spiking.
According to the company, the strips are designed to detect GHB, ketamine, cocaine and scopolamine, with results appearing in about 10 seconds.
Safety measure
The company said the product is intended as an additional personal safety measure rather than a guarantee that a drink is safe. Testing strips may not identify every substance or concentration.
Anyone who suddenly feels unwell or suspects a drink has been tampered with should seek help immediately.
Business development
The concept began as a classroom brainstorming session focused on creating a discreet and practical safety product. The students selected an item commonly carried by women and girls rather than developing a product that could be left at home.
The team used 3D printing to develop the prototype, including the casing, concealed compartment and overall appearance. They also established the business, assigned responsibilities and managed marketing, sales, production, purchasing, finance and quality control.
