Apply for project weeks 2026: School classes give electrical boxes a facelift

Electrical box styling: Half of the 16,000 boxes already feature panda, gorilla & Co design motifs

27. August 2025

Electrical boxes are angular, grey and usually stand inconspicuously at the side of the road: Stromnetz Berlin has around 16,000 electricity boxes and about 10,000 transformer stations. For more than 15 years, pupils in the capital city have been decorating around 500 of the boxes each year with graffiti they have designed themselves during project weeks. There are still places available for 2026 and schools can apply to Stromnetz Berlin from now until 26 September 2025. This campaign is aimed at pupils from Year 5  onwards. During a one-week project week, each class creates designs for 15 electricity boxes in their neighbourhood. First, the kids devise their own motifs. Then, under the guidance of street artists and teachers, stencils are created or freehand spray techniques are taught. Finally, the pupils apply their motifs to the boxes. Stromnetz Berlin foots the bill for these electricity box styling project weeks.

Please e-mail in your applications by 26 September 2025, stating your school, school year and a named person with their contact details to: [email protected].

Tom Rütting, Head of Policy & Communication at Stromnetz Berlin, says: “Most of our cables and equipment are barely visible in the city. That’s why we are particularly pleased that these schoolchildren turn our electrical boxes and transformer stations into colourful works of art each year during these project weeks. We encourage creativity while also protecting these facilities from vandalism. Simply because visually attractive boxes are demonstrably less likely to be sprayed over”.

Benjamin Graf-Kubel, is project manager at meredo e.V., which organises the project weeks on behalf of Stromnetz Berlin. He reports: “Animal motifs are especially popular with pupils. Sport and food also feature time after time in these designs. It is important to us to teach these school pupils about topics such as copyright. You can’t just use your favourite comic book hero or football club logo. This project gives them the opportunity to colourfully design the neighbourhood they live in with their own motifs”.

The most attractive electrical boxes and transformer stations are selected annually by a jury, across several categories. Every year, all interested parties can vote for the Audience Award via social media and online. The prizes are awarded in the presence of the young artists at a major event.

More information on electrical box styling can be found at page Junction box styling.