Meet the Winners

The winners of Young Social Innovators Awards 2026 were announced on 12th May in an Awards Ceremony hosted by John Sharpson during an event at the Aviva Stadium that saw over 300 teenage changemakers receiving YSI awards across different categories recognising their ideas and actions for a better world.

All of our finalist teams presented their inspiring social innovation projects for bringing about positive change in their communities, spanning a diverse range of issues aligned to YSI’s pillars of People, Communities and the Environment, all addressing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Congratulations to all of the award winners in 2026!

Young Social Innovators 2026 Gold Award Winners

Students from Killorglin Community College, Co Kerry, won the Gold Award for The Oasis Project, a student-led wellbeing initiative transforming how young people approach mental health in school. Through practical wellbeing stations placed throughout their school, the team created accessible tools for emotional regulation, stress management and self-care, helping to build a culture where mental wellbeing is visible, proactive and supported every day.

Young Social Innovators 2026 Silver Award Winners

Students from St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co Kerry, won the Silver Award for The Road Not Taken, a campaign challenging the stigma around apprenticeships and skilled trades. Through careers fairs, social media campaigns and creative educational tools like their character ‘Voltage Vince’, the team is encouraging young people to see trades as valuable, respected and future-focused career paths.

Young Social Innovators 2026 Bronze Award Winners

Students from Largy College, Clones, Co Monaghan, won the Bronze Award for Stop the Silent Leak, a campaign raising awareness about nanoplastics and their potential impact on brain health. Inspired by scientific research, the team used social media campaigns, public outreach and community engagement to educate people about the hidden dangers of plastics in everyday life.

Sustainability For Our Planet Award

Students from Killorglin Community College, Co Kerry, won the Sustainability For Our Planet Award for Greener and Cleaner. By successfully campaigning for a ban on single-use plastics in their school, they eliminated hundreds of disposable cups every week and showed how student-led action can drive meaningful environmental change and long-term policy impact.

Making Our World a Safer Place Award  

Students from Coláiste Bhríde Carnew, Co Wicklow, won the Making Our World a Safer Place Award for Angela in Action. Their project is expanding the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative into shops, universities and public spaces nationwide, helping ensure people can discreetly access support whenever they feel unsafe or vulnerable.

Healthy Connections Award  

Students from Killorglin Community College, Co Kerry, won the Healthy Connections Award for The Oasis Project, their innovative wellbeing initiative designed to support emotional regulation and stress management throughout the school day using practical, student-friendly tools.

Healthy Lives & Sexual Health Award Winners 

Students from Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí (Beara Community), Co Cork, won the Healthy Lives & Sexual Health Award for Code4Life, a life-saving mobile app initiative mapping local defibrillators with GPS and offline functionality. Their project aims to improve emergency response times and strengthen access to life-saving care in communities across Ireland.

Planet Protectors Award

Students from Largy College, Clones, Co Monaghan, won the Planet Protectors Award for Stop the Silent Leak, a campaign raising awareness about nanoplastics and their potential impact on brain health. Inspired by cutting-edge scientific research, the team used social media campaigns, street interviews and community outreach to educate people about the invisible dangers of plastics in everyday life and encourage more sustainable choices.

Open And Equal Communities Award

Students from St. Louis Secondary School, Co Monaghan, won the Open and Equal Communities Award for Level the Pitch, a campaign challenging gender inequality in Ladies’ Gaelic Football. Through club surveys, advocacy work, documentary production and collaboration with Monaghan GAA on an Equality Charter, the team is pushing for greater visibility, fairness and support for women’s sport.

Brighter Futures Award

Students from St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co Kerry, won the Brighter Futures Award for The Road Not Taken, a project challenging the stigma surrounding apprenticeships and skilled trades. Through careers fairs, social media campaigns and creative educational tools, they are helping students recognise trades as valuable, respected and future-focused career pathways.

Push Back on Poverty Award

Students from Lusk Community College, Co Dublin, won the Push Back on Poverty Award for Facilities in our Local Area. Motivated by the lack of amenities for young people in their rapidly growing town, the team created practical community initiatives including a Stone Safari trail, a Book Borrow Box and a Toy Borrow Box to encourage connection, creativity and local engagement.

Advocacy Award

Students from St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co Kerry, won an Advocacy Award for The Road Not Taken, a campaign challenging stereotypes around apprenticeships and skilled trades. Through social media campaigns, public engagement and educational outreach, the team is reshaping conversations around career success and showing young people that trades are valuable, respected and future-focused career paths.

Advocacy Award

Students from Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School, Firhouse, Co Dublin, won an Advocacy Award for Stuck in the Loop, a project exploring the impact of social media and AI overreliance on young people’s wellbeing. Through an energetic and thought-provoking performance, the team highlighted how excessive online influence can negatively affect relationships, confidence and body image, encouraging important conversations around digital wellbeing and self-esteem.

Advocacy Award

Students from Largy College, Clones, Co Monaghan, received an Advocacy Award for Stop the Silent Leak, their awareness campaign exploring the dangers of nanoplastics and their possible links to brain health issues. Their advocacy work encouraged important conversations around sustainability, science and public health.

Fun Raising Spotlight Award

Students from Castleisland Community College, Co Kerry, won the Fun Raising Spotlight Award for Hearts and Hands, a project focused on creating a positive and inclusive school environment through student-led events, kindness campaigns and fundraising initiatives supporting important community causes.

Spirit of YSI Spotlight Award

Students from Cork Educate Together Secondary School won the Spirit of YSI Spotlight Award for Cork Commemorates, a campaign calling for a permanent statue of Frederick Douglass in Cork City. Through art activism workshops and a children’s storybook about his life, the team is celebrating equality, history and cultural awareness through creative youth advocacy.

Courageous Voice Spotlight Award

Students from Youthreach, Wicklow Town, Co Wicklow, won the Courageous Voice Spotlight Prize for Grounded, a hands-on mental health initiative focused on practical action over discussion. Rather than simply talking about wellbeing, the team is running workshops in boxing, baking, musical theatre and planting, giving young people a real toolkit of coping skills and healthier ways to manage stress.

Test, Learn, Grow Spotlight Award

Students from St. Aidan’s Comprehensive School, Cootehill, Co Cavan, won the Test, Learn, Grow Spotlight Award for St. Aidan’s Sensory Vibes, an inclusion-focused project designed to support students with additional needs. The team created a sensory board for their school’s autism room, shaped directly by student feedback, and developed smaller personalised versions for individual desks, helping to make learning environments more accessible, supportive and student-led.

Tech for Good Spotlight Award

Students from Beara Community School, Co Cork, won the Tech for Good Spotlight Award for Project Prometheus, an AI-powered wearable translation device designed to help students from diverse backgrounds overcome language barriers in the classroom. Their innovation aims to make education more inclusive, accessible and connected.