Big Ideas, Brave Voices: Highlights from the YSI Awards 2025 

There was something truly special in the air at the Aviva Stadium as students, teachers and changemakers gathered to celebrate this year’s Young Social Innovators Awards. It was a joyful, hopeful, high-energy afternoon packed with creativity, courage, and young people showing the world exactly what they’re made of.

This year, around 300 teams of secondary school students were assessed during YSI Speak Outs held all across Ireland in March. Each team had a story to tell, a problem to solve, or a community to support, and the variety and depth of projects on show were nothing short of inspiring.

After months of brainstorming, planning, collaborating and campaigning, the very best were honoured at the national awards ceremony. Oh, and the room was absolutely buzzing!

Among so many thoughtful and inspiring projects, a handful truly captured hearts and imaginations, showing what can happen when young people are given the space to lead. These projects didn’t just tick boxes, they challenged norms, sparked conversations, and showed incredible creativity in tackling real-world issues.

Here’s a closer look at the standout winners of this year’s title awards:

Gold Award: Tullamore College, Offaly - Grass Sheets

This team saw potential where most people see a lawn mower’s nightmare. By turning grass clippings into a paper like product, they created a sustainable alternative that could help reduce deforestation and waste. Even better, they showed its real-world potential by making paper bags and a jacket! With plans to scale up and collaborate with local businesses, this idea is already taking root beyond the classroom. It’s smart, it’s green, and it’s got legs.

Silver Award: St Brendan’s College, Killarney – Comparison is the Thief of Joy

In a world flooded with filters, edits and highlight reels, this project took a bold step to help people spot what’s real and what’s not online. By educating others about deepfake technology and the pressures of curated social media, they’re helping people, especially young people, take back their confidence. With support from Jigsaw and plans for wider impact, this team is leading an important conversation about mental health and media literacy. Quietly powerful, and so needed.

Bronze Award: Rosses Community School, Donegal – Tick Tack Go

Tick-borne illness might not be a topic you hear about every day, but this team made sure it won’t go unnoticed. Their project raises awareness about Lyme disease and gives people practical tools, including custom tick removal kits - to stay safe in high-risk areas. It’s the kind of project that blends care, research and action, proving that local issues deserve local heroes. Thoughtful, practical, and deeply community-focused.

Celebrating More Brilliant Ideas

The awards also recognised projects across a wide range of social issues, through eight special challenge categories. Here are just a few of the powerful ideas we saw:

Sustainability for our Planet Award - Get Cyced, Creagh College, Wexford
A clever campaign that promoted walking and cycling, complete with an app concept and a petition for student bike vouchers.

Brighter Futures Award - Life Skills, For Life!, Clonturk Community College, Dublin
Practical workshops teaching senior cycle students how to cook, vote, manage money, and more. Real-world prep done right.

Health Connections Award - Phoneless Phobia, St Leo’s College, Carlow
Encouraging people to take breaks from their phones and reconnect with life offline. A gentle but important message in today’s always-on world.

Pushback on Poverty Award - Saor - free the flow, Portmarnock Community School, Dublin 
A bold project tackling period poverty and menstrual health education both in Ireland and in their partner school in Lesotho.

Make Our World a Safer Place Award - Break the Silence, End the Violence, Loreto Community School, Donegal
Raising awareness of domestic violence through podcasts, school workshops, and powerful conversations.

Planet Protectors Award - Fresh Start, Stepaside Educate Together Secondary School, Dublin
Teaching children eco-friendly habits through fun, interactive workshops on recycling and gardening.

Open and Equal Communities Award - Camán Na Cailíní, Coláiste Muire ,Clare
A campaign encouraging girls to stay in sport, promoting equality and inclusion through a massive three-day event.

Healthy Lives and Sexual Health Award - ManagePB,Coláiste Chiaráin, Athlone
A smart app helping young athletes balance their training and avoid burnout.

Spotlight Awards

A number of Spotlight Awards were also given to teams going the extra mile:

Catch a Cubbie
Scoil Dara in Kildare won the Fun Raising Award for creating an app to support people with sensory processing difficulties. 

Ramp it Up
Ramsgrange Community School in Wexford won the Social Entrepreneurs Award for designing a ramp that makes accessibility easier for everyone.

Take a Stand, Change the Band
Coláiste Bhríde in Wicklow received the Spirit of YSI Award for their brave campaign to reform the Junior Cert grading system.

Advocacy Awards

Revive Our Roots – Coláiste na Carraige, Donegal
Reconnecting young people with the Irish language and culture through creative campaigns and social media.

The Lesley Project – Terence MacSwiney Community College, Cork
Raising awareness of domestic abuse through education and advocacy.

Get Voting – St Louis Secondary School, Dundalk
Promoting political education and youth participation through school initiatives and outreach.

HOPE: Homes Over Profit Everytime – Ballybay Community College, Monaghan
Highlighting homelessness, especially among women, through workshops and advocacy.

High Impact Award 2025

Young People in Terence MacSwiney Community College, Cork were honoured with the High Impact Award for The Food Fund, a thoughtful project tackling food poverty by redistributing school meals to those in need.

Watch a detailed out video of The Food Fund here or on the image!

A Word from the Grown-Ups

The passion, dedication and creativity these young people brought to their projects is exactly why social innovation belongs in our schools.

The calibre of all entries is a testament to the students behind them... Today we see the practical results in projects that aim to tackle important social issues like environmental action, healthcare, and gender equality

Thank You 

To every student, teacher, supporter and parent who took part this year, a massive thank you!! You've reminded us what’s possible when young people are empowered to act. You’ve shown us that creativity, compassion and courage are alive and well in classrooms across the country.

And to the young people,  we’re so proud of you. Keep dreaming, keep building, and keep believing in your power to make a difference.

We’ll be cheering you on, every step of the way.