Ballinhassig National School Student Wins Green Schools Poster Competition

A talented student from Ballyheada National School in Ballinhassig, has been recognized as a top winner at the recent Green-Schools awards ceremony held in Dublin. Amy O’Regan triumphed in the senior primary category of the Green-Schools Poster Competition.

The awards, hosted at Wood Quay in Dublin 8 over two days, celebrated the dedication of primary and secondary students nationwide who participated in the Green-Schools Water Programme during the 2024-25 academic year. The event also honoured the winners of this year's poster competition.

This annual celebration marked the twelfth year of Uisce Éireann's sponsorship of An Taisce's Green-Schools programme, which supports schools in their efforts to achieve a Green Flag under the theme of water conservation and awareness.

The theme for this year’s poster competition, ‘Water is Life’, challenged students to create posters highlighting the fundamental importance of water to all aspects of life on our planet.

Amy O’Regan a student of Ballyheada NS, Ballinhassig, County Cork, a winner in the Senior Primary Category, pictured with Uisce Éireann’s Head of Customer Operations Geoffrey Bourke and Cathy Baxter of An Taisce Green-Schools at the recent Green-Schools Poster Competition award ceremony held in Wood Quay, Dublin. Picture: Conor Healy / Picture It Photography

The competition garnered an overwhelming response, with a record-breaking 4,300 entries submitted across junior primary, senior primary, and secondary levels. The standard of entries was exceptionally high, making the judging process a considerable challenge. Ultimately, twelve regional winners each received a €100 voucher and a professionally framed poster, while three overall national winners were also announced at the prestigious ceremony.

Secondary school students also had the opportunity to participate in a video competition centered on the same theme, ‘Water is Life’. A comprehensive list of all the winning entries can be found at Water Poster and Video Competition 2025 | Green-Schools.

Geoffrey Bourke, Uisce Éireann’s Head of Customer Operations, who attended the awards ceremonies, remarked that the record number of entries demonstrated the increasing strength and impact of the Green-Schools Water Programme throughout the country.

“The Green-Schools awards are always a wonderful occasion, and this year, the quantity and quality of the submissions across the various categories has been truly incredible,” said Geoffrey. “The vital work being done by Green-Schools in schools across Ireland is clearly bearing fruit in terms of how our young people think about water and the need to conserve and respect it. We in Uisce Éireann are proud of our long-standing sponsorship of the programme.”

Cathy Baxter, An Taisce Director of Education, echoed this sentiment, stating, “The Green-Schools Water Awards are one of the highlights of our year. They celebrate the creativity, commitment, and teamwork of students and teachers working together to protect one of our most precious resources: water. These young people are leading by example and showing that real environmental change begins in our schools and communities. We’re so proud of their efforts and inspired by their impact.”

Throughout the current academic year, An Taisce has directly engaged with 330 schools on the Water Flag initiative, collaborating with over 100,000 students and 10,000 teachers nationwide.

The Green-Schools water theme is a grassroots sponsorship designed to enhance awareness and understanding through a variety of activities tailored for both primary and secondary level students. Beyond promoting water conservation, the sponsorship also fosters broader engagement in the responsible management of our water resources.

For further details about the sponsorship and Uisce Éireann’s support, please visit Water Education in Schools | Conservation | Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water).