The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) has extended the deadline for the 2026 RDS Forest and Woodland Awards.

Farmers and woodland owners across Ireland now have until Friday, January 30, 2026, to enter the awards which have a total prize fund of €8,000.

The awards celebrate the innovation, commitment, and stewardship defining the future of Irish forestry.

The RDS said it is "seeking champions actively implementing climate-smart agricultural practices on their land".

Awards

The awards are divided into four main categories as follows:

Teagasc Farm Forestry Award: For working farmers integrating forestry into their overall farm enterprise, demonstrating active forest management that strengthens sustainability and economic benefits;
Silvicultural Excellence and Innovation Award: For landowners demonstrating exceptional technical management in timber production (broadleaf, conifer, mixed, or coppice), setting the standard for commercial forestry in Ireland;
Community Woodland Award: For communal ownership or management projects that establish and manage forests to deliver significant, measurable, and sustainable benefits to the local economy and environment;
Native Woodland Conservation Award: For those achieving excellence in the conservation and sustainable management of native and long-established semi-natural woodlands, enhancing biodiversity and local economic opportunity.

Category winners will each receive €2,000 and an RDS Silver Medal, while runners-up will receive €1,000 and an RDS Certificate of Merit.

Sarah Keating, sustainability and innovation programme manager at the RDS, said that entry forms and further information are available on the RDS website.

"The categories are simple so that everyone can see themselves reflected.

"Whether you are integrating trees into your farm, producing high-quality timber, managing a woodland for your community, or conserving native woodlands, we encourage you to enter before January 30 and let us showcase your contribution," she said.

This year's winners will be announced at a ceremony in the RDS Concert Hall in April as part of the annual RDS Finding Common Ground Festival.