Meet the winners of the 2026 Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition
Four students from the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty Co. Cork have been named as the overall winners of the 2026 Certified Irish Angus School’s Competition.
Despite fierce competition from across the country Lucy Kirby, Ciara O’Driscoll, Niamh O’Sullivan and Ellen O’Neill impressed judges with their "consumer education tool" to win the top award.
According to Charles Smith, general manager of Certified Irish their passion for the sector, strong farming ability and engaging personalities set them apart from the beginning.
"The platform they created to help consumers better understand the Certified Irish Angus brand, and the value of the Angus breed for efficiency on Irish farms showcased real understanding and innovation.
"Their approach highlights how new ideas and fresh perspectives can help to shape the next generation of Irish agriculture," he added.
Now in its 12th year, the Certified Irish Angus School’s Competition, which is run in association with processor partners ABP and Kepak, attracted over 1,000 students from 361 groups across 25 counties.
The competition challenges students to rear five Irish Angus calves for beef production for two years
Speaking at the competition's awards ceremony in Croke Park today (Friday, March 6) Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth, Michael Moynihan said the professionalism and insight shown by the students highlights the strength of talent developing in schools and communities across the country.
"Programmes like the Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition offer valuable opportunities for applied learning, critical thinking and personal development.
"Seeing students engage with these experiences gives real confidence that our future is in the hands of informed, creative and motivated young people," Minister Moynihan added.
Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition winners
Although students from the Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty Co. Cork may have carried off the main award, they were not the only winners today.
The runners up in the 2026 competition were students Jack O'Meara, Moya Guinan, Joseph McLoughney and Ben Younge from St. Brendan's Community School, Birr, Co. Offaly.
The St. Brendan's Community School students' project “Optimising Sustainable Animal Nutrition for Better Angus Beef Cattle” also impressed judges.
Separately Cillian Marren from Newport College, Co. Tipperary also received an outstanding achievement award for his contribution to the competition.
2026
Farming experts are currently judging the next batch of potential entrants for the next Certified Irish Angus Schools Competition from a pool of 53 shortlisted schools.
The judges include representatives from right across the agri-food industry ABP, Kepak, Tesco, Bord Bia, IASTA, NPA, Our Food Roots, IFA and Musgrave.
The five schools that "best demonstrate an understanding of the competition", along with innovative project ideas will be announced later this year at the National Ploughing Championships in September.
On completion of the project, each of the finalists will get a major financial boost from selling the animals to the processors which amounts to an average €10,000 per group.
The overall winning students also receive an additional grant of €2,000 for their further education.
