MEMBERS of University College Cork and Munster Technological University societies have won nine awards at this year’s Board of Irish College Societies Awards.

Board of Irish College Societies (BICS) is a national organisation that was founded in 1995 and its role is to provide a national forum for the societies in Ireland’s universities, colleges and institutes of education.

BICS has grown since its foundation, and it now represents 18 colleges and 742 societies, with over 50,000 students across Ireland.

A spokesperson for BICS said student societies can offer a path to a greater experience of higher education, and can help to build friendships which will last far beyond college years and can offer skills which are just as valuable as any learned in a lecture hall.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by all of us across the past two year, due to the hard work and dedication of all of our members we managed to hold our annual awards in person this year, it being the first in person Board of Irish College Societies event since 2019,” the spokesperson said.

University College Cork won in seven categories at the BICS awards, and MTU in two categories.

The MTU Women in STEM Society won Best Society (Small College), and the MTU Programming Society won Best Society (Small College).

UCC Law Society won Best Intervarsity; UCC Failte Refugees won Best Mental Health Event; and Hazel Young of UCC Cancer and Enactus Society won the Best Fresher (Large College) section.

The UCC Cooperative Society won in the Best New Society (Large College) section.

Best Individual (Large College) went to Colm Cleary of UCC Music Society, with the UCC Economics Society winning Best Virtual Event.

UCC Surgeon Noonan Society won Best Society (Large College).

Michelle Whyte, BICS vice chairperson and officer of student societies in UCC, described the standard of entries as “a true reflection of the fun, creativity and dedication that these student volunteers bring to their campus community”.