Environmental Youth Speak Competition

2025 Environmental Youth Speak Final

This year’s Final of the popular Environmental Youth Speak Competition took place in Downshire Civic Centre at the end of March 2025. Fourteen pupils from primary and secondary schools across the district were selected from forty online submissions and invited to present their speeches in front of a three-person panel. The competition, organised each year by the Sustainability and Environment Department, aims to encourage debate on sustainability issues and culminates with the crowning of the Junior and Senior Environmental Youth Speak Champions 2025. 

Ten primary school pupils and four secondary pupils performed at the Final. Primary school pupils spoke on the topic ‘Welcome to the World of Waste Wizardry’; ‘Lesson One: Making Our Waste Disappear’, while Secondary schools were asked to speak on ‘Back to the Future. Learning from the Past to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint’. 

Pupils and guests were warmly welcomed to the Final by Deputy Chairperson, Councillor David Lee-Surginor. The prestigious judging panel comprised Conor Sage, Assistant Director of Sustainability, NMDDC; Eamonn Keaveney, Head of Sustainability, NMDDC and Nichola Hughes, Chief Executive of Sustainable NI.

After much deliberation the judges chose as this year’s overall winner, in the Junior Section, Aoibhinn Cunningham from St Malachy’s Primary School, Castlewellan and Paddy Keenan from St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook was the senior winner. Runners up in the junior section were Aralynn O’Hare, St Jospeh’s Primary School, Carnacaville and Olivia Tumilty, St Colman’s Primary School, Saval. Runners up in the Senior section were Ella McKee, Kilkeel High School, Emma Hearne, Our Lady’s Grammar school and Eva Kelly, Sacred Heart Grammar school.

Deputy Chairperson Lee-Surginor presented the Junior and Senior Champions with a trophy for them to keep. All pupils who attended also received a commemorative certificate and a voucher to acknowledge their contribution.

The Sustainability Section would like to thank all schools who participated in the 2025 competition and look forward to holding the competition again in 2026, details of which will appear on this page at a later date.