YSI Blog

Combined Shape Created with Sketch.
  • Home
  • YSI Blog
  • Emotional wellbeing, destigmatising apprenticeships and nanoplastics awareness projects claim top prizes at Young Social Innovators Awards

YSI Awards 2026 Gold Award Winners - The Oasis Project

Emotional wellbeing stations, a campaign tackling the stigma around apprenticeships, and a grassroots nanoplastics awareness drive claim top honours at 2026 Young Social Innovators Awards

A student-led wellbeing initiative bringing emotional regulation into school corridors; a bold campaign challenging the stigma around apprenticeships and trades; and a compelling public awareness drive warning of the dangers of nanoplastics have been announced as the overall Gold, Silver and Bronze winners of the 2026 Young Social Innovators (YSI) Awards, held on Tuesday, 12th of May at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

The annual YSI Awards celebrate excellence in youth-led social innovation, recognising secondary school students whose projects are driving real change in communities across Ireland. This year's finalists were shortlisted from hundreds of teams who took part in the YSI Activate Programme in their schools, with projects spanning a wide range of social issues aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The winners were celebrated at today's ceremony, attended by special guest Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Jerry Buttimer TD, and the event was emceed by John Sharpson for the occasion. The competing teams represented counties from across the island of Ireland.

Reflecting on the ambition and impact of this year's projects, Minister Jerry Buttimer TD, said: 

What I witnessed today from these young people genuinely moved me. These are not just school projects - they are blueprints for a better Ireland, built by the generation that will lead it. From breaking down stigma around mental health, to taking on the plastics industry, to championing equality in sport, our young innovators are proving that change doesn’t wait for permission. I am proud that the Department continues to support the vital work of Young Social Innovators, and I offer my heartfelt congratulations to every team that took part today.

Minister Jerry Buttimer TD,

Minister Jerry Buttimer with students from St. Brendan's College, Killarney, Co. Kerry

Commenting on the exceptional quality of this year’s entries, Roger Warnock, CEO of Young Social Innovators, said:

Every year I think the bar cannot be raised any higher, and every year these young people prove me wrong. The breadth of issues tackled, the depth of research behind each project, and the sheer determination to create lasting impact are a testament to what young people are capable of when they are given the tools, the space, and the belief. Congratulations to all of our 2026 winners and finalists. You have shown Ireland and the world that social innovation is alive and thriving among young people.

Roger Warnock, YSI CEO

Gold, Silver and Bronze Title Awards

The overall Young Social Innovators of the Year Gold, Silver and Bronze titles were awarded to the following teams:

•  Gold Award: Young Social Innovators of the Year

Students at Killorglin Community College, Co Kerry, claimed the overall Gold Award for The Oasis Project, a student-led wellbeing initiative focused on making emotional regulation normal, visible, and accessible for every young person in their school. The team designed and launched the ‘Pantheon HXR Gauntlet’ - a set of short regulation and movement stations placed throughout school corridors, and delivered wellbeing sessions to 95 first and second year students. Their project is building a shared language around ‘resetting’ and stress management, shifting the school culture from reactive to proactive when it comes to student mental health.

•  Silver Award: Young Social Innovators of the Year

The Road Not Taken, St. Brendan's College, Killarney, Co.Kerry

Students from St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co Kerry, won the overall Silver Award for The Road Not Taken, a campaign challenging the stigma around apprenticeships and trades as a career path. The team, 27 students strong, hosted a careers fair, created social media campaigns on TikTok and Instagram, and even developed a children’s book character, ‘Voltage Vince’, to reach younger audiences. Their mission is to show students across Kerry and beyond that skilled trades are not a lesser path. They are a vital and valued one.

•  Bronze Award: Young Social Innovators of the Year

Stop The Silent Leak, Largy College, Clones, Co. Monaghan

Students at Largy College, Clones, Co Monaghan were awarded the Bronze title for Stop the Silent Leak, a campaign sounding the alarm on nanoplastics and their potential links to brain disease, including Parkinson’s. Inspired by cutting-edge research from Trinity College Dublin, the team ran street interviews, launched TikTok campaigns, and distributed fridge magnet reminders to spread awareness of the invisible particles leaching from plastics into our food and drinks.

Challenge Category Awards Winners

Winners of the Challenge Category Awards were also announced at the ceremony:

Won by students from Lusk Community College, Co Dublin, for Facilities in our Local Area. Frustrated by the lack of amenities in their rapidly growing town, this team created a Stone Safari trail, a Book Borrow Box, and a Toy Borrow Box - practical, community-led solutions to give young people something to engage with locally.

Won by students from Coláiste Bhríde Carnew, Co Wicklow, for Angela in Action. These 16 students are rolling out the ‘Ask for Angela’ safety initiative into shops, universities, and public spaces nationwide, ensuring that a powerful safety net is available to everyone, not just in nightlife venues, but in everyday settings.

Won by students from Killorglin Community College, Co Kerry, for Greener and Cleaner. This team successfully negotiated a complete ban on single-use plastics in their school, eliminating approximately 500 disposable cups every single week and driving meaningful, lasting policy change.

Won by students from Coláiste Pobail Bheanntraí (Beara Community), Co Cork, for Code4Life, a life-saving mobile app initiative mapping every Automated External Defibrillator (AED) in the community, with offline functionality for rural areas and integration with emergency services, addressing Ireland’s 8% cardiac arrest survival rate and the inequalities in emergency response across geographic areas.

Won by students from St. Louis Secondary School, Co Monaghan, for Level the Pitch, a campaign challenging gender inequality in Ladies’ Gaelic Football. The team surveyed over 20 clubs, developed an Equality Charter with Monaghan GAA, and is producing a documentary and planning a Silent Sideline Match to spotlight the lack of support for women’s sport.

Won by students from Largy College, Clones, Co Monaghan, for Stop the Silent Leak, raising public awareness about nanoplastics and their potential impact on brain health.

Won by students from Killorglin Community College, Co Kerry, for The Oasis Project, their corridor-based wellbeing station initiative supporting students with practical emotional regulation tools throughout the school day.

Brighter Futures Award

Won by students from St. Brendan’s College, Killarney, Co Kerry, for The Road Not Taken, challenging the stigma around apprenticeships and trades.


Spotlight Awards

Advocacy Awards were presented to three teams: St. Brendan’s College (The Road Not Taken); Firhouse Educate Together Secondary School, Co Dublin (Stuck in the Loop); and Largy College, Co Monaghan (Stop the Silent Leak).

Won by Castleisland Community College, Co Kerry, for Hearts and Hands. The team created a positive, inclusive school environment through a series of student-led initiatives, from kindness campaigns and Christmas markets to a whole-school Basketball Blitz, while raising funds for Kerry Hospice Foundation and raising awareness of Alzheimer's through Denim Day for Dementia with The Alzheimer Society of Ireland.

Won by St. Aidan’s Comprehensive School, Cootehill, Co Cavan for St Aidan’s Sensory Vibes. The team designed and built a sensory board for their school’s autism room, shaped directly by the students who use it, and created smaller personalised boards for individual desks.

Won by Beara Community School, Co Cork, for Project Prometheus, an AI-powered wearable translation device designed to break down language barriers for students from diverse backgrounds in the classroom.

Won by young people from Youthreach, Wicklow Town, for Grounded, a hands-on mental health programme running workshops in boxing, baking, musical theatre, and planting, giving young people a real and practical toolkit of coping skills.

Won by students from Cork Educate Together Secondary School for Cork Commemorates, a campaign to secure a permanent statue of Frederick Douglass in Cork City, running art activism workshops and producing an illustrated children’s storybook about his life.