Innovation Awards for Two Offaly Schools at National Student Enterprise Awards
Two student-run businesses from Offaly schools have won awards at the Student Enterprise Awards National Finals in Croke Park, thanks to the support of Local Enterprise Office Offaly.
Caballis Equine Ltd from Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore won the Innovation Award at the National Finals last week (April 20th) in the Senior category. The student-run company has produced an innovative horse feeder which optimises horse health and wellbeing and the winning student was Daniel Carroll.
In the Intermediate Category, Offaly again won the Innovation Award with the business Farm Friendly Feeder from Gallen Community School, Ferbane. The students who run the business are Adam Henry, Oisin McGuire and Josh Dunican. They have developed a unique cattle feeder.
Photographs from the event can be viewed on our Facebook page.
Co-ordinated by all 31 Local Enterprise Offices across the Local Authorities Network, the 14th Annual Student Enterprise Awards National Final in Croke Park saw 201 student entrepreneurs from 69 schools showcase 76 different student enterprises, across Junior, Intermediate and Senior Categories. A record-breaking 22,000 students from 620 schools took part in the programme this year.
Awards for Category Winners, Innovation, Best Display, Intellectual Property Awareness and Social Media were also presented during the ceremony, as part of the overall €10,000 prize fund.
Orla Martin with the Local Enterprise Office Offaly congratulated the award-winning student enterprise, saying: “The judges were very impressed with the students’ ability to identify a problem and develop a solution that has real commercial potential. The Student Enterprise Programme was set up to encourage more young people to start a business and to foster a more enterprising culture for start-ups. A record number of students and schools took part in this year’s programme, showing a growing interest in enterprise in the classroom.”
The Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation and T.D. for Meath East, Mr. Damien English, presented the students with their award on stage , saying: “It is extremely encouraging to see the level of ingenuity and entrepreneurship in action throughout classrooms in Ireland today. Through the Student Enterprise Awards, the Local Enterprise Offices are supporting more young people to develop practical business experience and it provides students with the opportunity to learn first-hand skills that are vital for securing future growth within the Irish economy.”
One other student-run business from the Gallen Commmunity School, Ferbane also made it through to this year’s National Final. The business “Gallen Games” produced educational, fun language games and the students were Katie Moran, Nicole Buckley and Jennifer Arnold.
St Oliver Post Primary in Oldcastle took the overall Junior Category prize for 'Amor Stirrup Guide' with their First Year project. The Intermediate Category, which is open to second and third year students, was won by ‘Inish Wood Working’ from Scoil Mhuire Buncrana from County Donegal for their hand-crafted giftware. The top prize in the Senior Category went to ‘Headphone Helpers’ from Coláiste Chraobh Abhann inWicklow, for a patent-pending band for earphones.
The Social Media Awards were supported by Essential French and the Intellectual Property Awareness Awards were supported by the Irish Patents Office.
Twenty students with the highest marks in the Senior Category were also offered a place at the week-long ‘Winners Business Bootcamp’, which is running in University College Cork from May 30th to June 4th.
The 2016/2017 Student Enterprise Awards programme starts in September, with full details available at www.studententerprise.ie or by searching #studententerprise on social media.
STUDENT ENTERPRISE AWARDS NATIONAL FINALS 2016
SENIOR CATEGORY
- First Place: Headphone Helpers, Colaiste Chraobh Abhann Kilcoole in Wicklow.
- Second Place: Meachan, Colaiste Ris, Dundalk, Co. Louth
- Third Place: Make a Mark, Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Gortnor Abbey Co Mayo.
- Innovation Award: Caballis Equine Ltd, Colaiste Choilm, Tullamore, Co Offaly.
- Best Display: Kitchen Kouture, Royal and Prior Comprehensive School, Raphoe Co. Donegal.
- Special Merit 1: Citosc, Maria Immaculuta Community College, Dunmanway, West Cork.
- Special Merit 2: Ultimate Universal Steriliser, Colaiste Phobal, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary.
- Special Merit 3: Cut Cost Coupons, Carrigallen Vocational School, Co Leitrim.
INTERMEDIATE CATEGORY
- First Place: Inish Woodworking, Scoil Mhuire Buncrana, Co. Donegal.
- Second Place: Pet Health Living, CBS Wexford, Co. Wexford.
- Third Place: Shockets, Colaiste Chu Chulainn, Dundalk, Co. Louth.
- Innovation Award: Farm Friendly Feeder, Gallen Community School, Co. Offaly.
- Best Display: Centurions, Desmond College, Co Limerick.
JUNIOR CATEGORY
- First Place: Amor, St Oliver Post Primary School, Oldcastle, Co. Meath.
- Second Place: Dainty Doors, St Dominic’s College, Cabra, Dublin City.
- Third Place: The Boring Postcard Co, Dundalk Grammar School, Co Louth.
- Innovation Award: The Claw Bag, Our Lady’s Secondary School, Co Tipperary.
- Best Display: Genie, St Mary’s Secondary School, Charleville, North Cork.
IP Awards (sponsored by the Patents Office)
IP Award Junior Category
The Story of My Life, Ballyhaunis Community School, Co. Mayo.
IP Award Intermediate Category
Melting Moments, Our Lady’s Secondary School, Belmullet Co. Mayo.
IP Award Senior Category
Kids Code, De La Salle College, Waterford
Social Media Awards (sponsored by Essential French)
The Irish Codaithe Competition, Killorglin Community College, Kerry (Intermediate Category)
Light Bulb Ideas, St Leo’s College in Carlow (Senior Category)
PEN, Scoil Mhuire, Cork City (Senior Category)
