Agri Aware and BiOrbic crowned students from Tullow Community School in Co.Carlow as the National Champions of the transition year programme Environmental Innovators for 2026, last Friday May 8th, at the Bord Bia Global Hub in Co. Dublin.

Students Katelyn Dempsey and Conán Mulvihill emerged as overall winners with their project, Spray Smart, a spraying suitability website designed to support farmers in navigating pesticide and nitrate regulations. The judges were particularly impressed by the platform’s design, innovation, and practical application within the agricultural sector.

Katelyn and Conán developed the website as an accessible tool to help farmers better understand and comply with environmental regulations, with the aim of reducing land pollution and river runoff. Connected to EU regulations, the platform updates automatically as new policies and guidance are introduced. By bringing key information together in one easy-to-use location, the website saves farmers from having to search through extensive documentation and resources.

Ten finalist groups were selected from 105 schools to attend the event at Bord Bia Global Hub, where they showcased their projects to leading agri-food stakeholders.

Agri Aware Chairman Shay Galvin said of the event: “We are delighted to once again attend a successful Peer Day for the Environmental Innovators programme.

This year’s event showcased outstanding knowledge and innovation across 10 finalist projects. Tullow Community School were deserving winners, and congratulations to both the students and their teacher on their achievement. Finally, sincere thanks to our partners, BiOrbic, and the supporting agrifood stakeholders who joined us to celebrate the occasion and select our National Winner for 2026.”

BiOrbic Director Prof. Kevin O’Connor added, “It is always a pleasure to attend the Peer Day. By applying solutions-based thinking to global challenges, the students have

generated blueprints for a circular and bio-based future. Congratulations to all 10 finalists and to the three winning projects.”