Uniforms have yet to be retrieved from wardrobes, and book lists remain to be checked, but already one of the biggest dates in the school year is confirmed with the timetable announcement for the Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (YSTE).
The closing date for entry to the competition is September 25th, finalists will be declared on October 23rd, and the exhibition and judging will take place from January 6th-9th.
More than 200 awards will be made, and the top prize increases from €7,500 to €10,000 this year, with the winner also going on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.
A new element has also been added for the students behind the top four projects, who will be paired with mentors from academia, industry and event sponsors, including tech company Stripe, to help develop their ideas and research.
RM Block
Under the Stripe YSTE Catalyst programme, they will also have the chance to travel to San Francisco to visit some of the world’s biggest technology companies and present their projects at Stripe Sessions, the firm’s annual showcase and conference.
Tony Scott, co-founder of the YSTE, which has run annually since 1963, welcomed the new feature.
“Each year, students bring forward work of remarkable creativity and rigour, testing ideas, gathering evidence and applying method to problems that matter,” he said.
The catalyst programme would extend their journey “beyond the exhibition” and give students “the opportunity to deepen their research, learn from experts and discover what serious scientific thinking can achieve”, he added.
The travel bursary to assist schools with transport and accommodation for students with projects in the finals has been increased this year from €120,000 to €150,000.
Maximum payments will range from €500 to €2,250 depending on school category and distance from the event.
The competition attracted 3,670 entries last year, with 550 projects produced by more than 1,000 students selected to compete in the final.
Schools from north and south of the Border were represented and projects were accepted in five broad categories: biological and ecological sciences; chemistry, physics and maths; social and behavioural sciences; health and wellbeing; and technology.
The 2026 overall winner, Aoibheann Daly, a fourth-year student from Mercy Secondary School Mounthawk in Tralee, Co Kerry, won for developing a diagnostic tool to aid faster and better treatment for glioblastoma brain cancer.
Eileen O’Mara, vice-chairwoman at Stripe, urged every school to enter.
“Many of the world’s most impactful ideas started as simple school experiments,” she said.
Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton also encouraged schools to get involved in the competition.
“It provides students with an invaluable opportunity to develop skills ... while building confidence and sharing their ideas,” she said.
