Cork students scoop prestigious accolades at BT Young Scientist

A project focusing on removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere has won a student at St Brogan’s College in Bandon the top prize in the individual category at this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technologist Exhibition, at the award ceremony held in Dublin’s RDS this evening. 

Tomás Markey, an 18-year-old pupil at the secondary school, won first prize in the individual competition for his innovative approach to removing harmful gases from the atmosphere.

Mr Markey was presented with his trophy by Education Minister Norma Foley and, as part of his prize, he will also travel to Japan later this year to participate in Expo Osaka.

The overall award was won by sisters Ciara, Saoirse, and Laoise Murphy from Presentation Secondary School in Tralee, whose project entitled ‘Aid Care Treat’ was a smartphone app aimed at improving the response of health services in emergency situations.

Several more awards were won by students from Cork across all categories participating in the annual science and technology extravaganza, the 61st edition of the prestigious exhibition.

Among them, a student at Bruce College in Cork won the 2025 Irish Aid/Self Help Africa Science for Development Award for a project entitled ‘HemaSense: Screens for anemia, blood conditions without needle sticks’ — a method of noninvasive blood screening of haemoglobin using smartphone cameras.

Anaus Syed Muhammad was presented with the award by International Development Minister Seán Fleming at the prize giving ceremony.

Mr Fleming described Anaus as a “deserved winner” of an “innovative project”.

“A huge amount of work went into developing this project and I want to congratulate him, his teacher Labhras White and the wider school community for receiving this award,” Mr Fleming said.

St Mary’s Secondary School in Macroom won the award for Best School in the Republic of Ireland and this award was presented to Shannen Foley, who along with Roisín O’Keeffe, were the two science teachers working with the projects put forward by the school’s students.

The prize for best project in the Republic of Ireland went to Donnchadh Ó Cuilleanáin and Vincent Mac Carthaigh of Coláiste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire, for their analysis of digital and analogue photography.

Caoimhín Ó Buachalla, a teacher at the school, won an Educator of Excellence award in the Health and Wellbeing category.