Glory for Cork school at Young Journalist awards

Kinsale Community School (KCS) is basking in the glow of securing national recognition at the Young Journalist Ireland Awards 2026.

A group of transition year students from the Cork school finished in third place in the school newspaper category at through their publication TY Voice of KCS.

Speaking on the achievement, teacher Gemma Cooper from Kinsale Community School said:

“We are immensely proud of our students and their outstanding accomplishment at a national level.

“Their success with ‘TY Voice of KCS’ reflects not only their talent and creativity but also their ability to think critically and engage with important issues in a thoughtful and informed way.

“This achievement is a credit to their hard work and to the strong culture of student voice within our school.” 

Run by NewsBrands Ireland, the Young Journalist Ireland awards ceremony took place recently at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, with this year’s competition attracting close to 500 entries from across the country.

Hosted by journalist Róisín Ingle, prizes were awarded across six categories including features, opinion, sports journalism, photojournalism, podcast and school newspaper.

Now in its 14th year, the Young Journalist Ireland programme reaches more than 10,000 Transition Year students annually.

The initiative aims to build media literacy skills, foster critical thinking and inspire the next generation of journalists.

Participating schools are provided with a comprehensive suite of resources, including digital newspaper access, lesson plans, student handbooks and newsletters, supporting both journalism skills and the broader Leaving certificate English curriculum.

Students learn how to assess sources, identify misinformation and produce their own journalism, guided by professional journalists and editors.

The competition entries were judged by a panel of national journalists and editors, recognising both individual creativity and school based collaboration.

Since its establishment in 2012, the initiative has benefited approximately 130,000 students nationwide and operates with the full support of the Department of Education.

The overall student journalist of the year 2026 accolade went to Rhéa McLoughlin from Moville Community College in County Donegal.

Entries were judged by a panel of leading media professionals and academics. The panel included Sheila Reilly, deputy editor of the Irish Examiner.

Speaking about the programme, chair of NewsBrands Ireland Sammi Bourke, said:

“Sincere congratulations to all of today’s winners. The aim of our Young Journalist Ireland programme is to spark a passion for journalism in the next generation. 

"Through the programme, students learn how to research, verify and tell stories – but just as importantly, they learn how to think critically about the information they encounter every day.

"That skill has never been more important. We live in a time when misinformation can spread in seconds and when AI is rapidly changing how information is created and shared. In that environment, recognising trustworthy journalism is more important than ever.”

For further information about the Young Journalist Ireland awards visit:

https://youngjournalist.ie/