An Taisce’s Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) 2025 Competition announces its incredible winners. YRE engages participants aged 11-25 in environment-focused citizen journalism, encouraging them to investigate local environmental issues and solutions, and report on them through articles, photos, podcasts or videos. This year’s awardees represent schools in Carlow, Dublin, Galway, Monaghan, Waterford, Westmeath and Wicklow.  
 
Under the overarching theme of Ecosystem Restoration, the standard of entries was very high. The winning entries ranged from the sensitive animated short film, ‘The Story of a Coffee Cup’ by St Louis School in Carrickmacross to the beautifully edited-video, ‘Illegal Dumping’ from Athlone Community College and Irish-language entry on fast-fashion ‘Éadaí sa Bhruscar’ from Coláiste Ráithín.

Written pieces included ‘Ireland’s shores: a reflection of a global crisis – plastic invades Ireland’s beaches’ by Angelina Shabela from St Augustine’s College to 'Fast Fashion: Is Donating the Solution?' by Roisin O'Herlihy, St Aloysuis Secondary School to a story on Ireland 'Retaining the Nitrates Derogation: Make or Break for the Dairy Industry?' by Anthony Beausang, St Colman's Community College. Plus a heartfelt piece on Drummin Bog from students in Knockbeg College.

Under Photography, in the Junior Category, 'The Future Deserves Better' by Nathan Varghese, Rockbrook Park School (see his image directly below) while in the Senior, Golden Fawns by Yuming Lian, Belvedere College (seen below that image).

 
Two of this year’s winners are going forward to the YRE International Competition; the video ‘Illegal Dumping’ from Athlone Community College and a winner in the Photography Category - ‘Golden Fawns’ (shown above) by Yuming Lian in Belvedere College. The two Irish entries will be competing against 43 other countries for the top prize. Winners will be announced in June.  
 
The Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme, coordinated by An Taisce, provides a platform for students to explore environmental issues through journalism. The programme provides resources to learn more about writing, videography, photography, editing and how to spot ‘fake news’. It also looks at how to report on environmental and climate change issues. 
 
By encouraging participants to research, analyse, and communicate environmental challenges, YRE fosters environmental literacy and equips young people with the skills to advocate for meaningful change. The programme's dynamic structure includes competitions, training, and international collaboration, making it a cornerstone of An Taisce’s educational initiatives. 
 
The YRE competition is a leadership programme open to students aged 11-25 who are invited to share their environmental perspectives through an article, photograph, or video. A total of 50 Green-Schools signed up for the programme which launched last September. Following the alarming need for urgent action, YRE recommends that students investigate local environmental issues linked to the following three themes; Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss and Environmental Pollution.  
 
Under strict criteria, the students' task was to identify and research a local environmental issue in their area, propose solutions and communicate their findings to the community. The criteria also direct each student to evaluate how these local issues feed into the bigger global picture by linking in with the global Sustainable Development Goals.  
 
YRE project manager, Claire McDonald said, “The YRE competition empowers young people to take an informed stand on local environmental issues and gives them a platform to articulate these via written article, photography or video. The standard of entries was exceptionally high this year and our judges were overwhelmed with the positive actions and solutions put forward by the students”  
 
Students were awarded a framed certificate along with their prizes and vouchers up to the value of €2,000 cumulatively at a national awards ceremony in Hotel Kilkenny on May 15th. The overall winners in each category have a chance of being recognised on a global scale with publication on the International YRE exposure website and entry into the International award.  
 
All of the winning articles, videos and photos can be viewed at the Young Reporters for the Environment winner's page. 

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National Winners  
 
SENIOR CATEGORY   

1ST PLACE (VIDEO)  
James Duffy, Maeve Murphy, Alexander Socolovsky, Eoin Dillion and Henry Proctor.   
Athlone Community School  

2ND PLACE (ARTICLE)  
Ben Keady and Adam Nolan  
Knockbeg College  

3RD PLACE (PHOTO)  
Yuming Lian  
Belvedere College  

Runner up (Video reel)  
Maria de Róiste , Iseult Ní Ghiolla Mhaoil, Nancy Ní Artaigh, Alice Megannety , Lili Nov an Airchinnigh, , Jorja Ní Cheallaigh, Emer Sweetman, Ella Ní Fhiannachta, Holly de Gascun, Baylee Aremu, Siofra ni Bheaglaoich  
Coláiste Ráithín  

Runner up(Campaign Video)  
Clara Blodau, Rían Carty, Eli Diskin, Mathew Connell  
Gort Community School  
 
JUNIOR CATEGORY  

1ST PLACE (VIDEO) 
Edith McConnon,Nicole McCabe,Chloe Ranjo, Andrea Ranjo,Kate Norton 
St Louis community school, Carrickmacross

2ND PLACE (ARTICLE) 
Angelina Shabela 
St. Augustine's College

3RD PLACE (PHOTO) 
Nathan Varghese 
Rockbrook Park School 
 
International Award Nomination: 
(PHOTO), ‘Golden Fawns’-Yuming Lian, Belvedere College  
(VIDEO), James Duffy, Maeve Murphy, Alexander  Socolovsky, Eoin Dillion and Henry Proctor, Athlone Community School  
 
Young Reporters for the Environment is a network of passionate young people educating for sustainable development by producing, engaging, creative, critical-thinking environmental journalism. A competition is held annually to encourage young people from all over the world to push themselves to their limits in the search for a story that will ultimately bring a real and current local environmental issue to the fore. It gives young people aged 11-25 a platform to research environmental issues and promote solutions through investigative reporting, photography, and video journalism. and is operating in 44 countries around the world including member states, Africa, South America, North America, Canada, Oceania and Asia. YRE is an initiative of FEE (the Foundation for Environmental Education).  The competition is open to those aged 11-25 participating as individuals or groups of students through their school, college, university, or youth group.