Minister Richmond launches the 2027 Our World Awards for Primary Schools

This year's programme will help primary school pupils explore water conservation, sustainability and environmental challenges affecting communities around the world.

Primary schools nationwide can register to take part in the 2027 Our World Awards at: www. ourworldawards.ie

The 2027 Our World Awards programme gives children from third to sixth class the opportunity to explore global issues through real world stories before responding through creative projects of their own.

This year, water and marine conservation will provide one of the key new areas of learning, connecting issues that have been visible in Ireland with the experiences of children and communities elsewhere in the world.

The Our World Awards are the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s flagship programme with primary schools which, over its lifetime, has seen thousands of young people become inspired to engage with global issues and take action for a fairer, more sustainable world.

It introduces pupils to global citizenship through classroom resources, activities and stories from communities around the world. Schools are then invited to use what pupils have learned as inspiration for their own creative submissions, with previous entries spanning art, storytelling, music, video and digital projects. Learning is supported by classroom resources and interactive elements, including virtual reality experiences that help bring marine habitats and life below water to life in a more immediate and tangible way.

Among the stories pupils will explore is that of 12-year-old Chizlene Nhampossa, a student at Morrungulo Primary School in Mozambique, where many families depend on the ocean and fishing for their food and livelihoods. Through an Irish Aid supported project, pupils at Chizlene’s school are learning about marine conservation, sustainable fishing, pollution and endangered marine species.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Richmond said:

Young people are growing up at a time when issues such as water conservation, sustainability and environmental change are increasingly visible in the world around them. The Our World Awards give pupils the opportunity to understand those issues in an age-appropriate and engaging way, while learning directly from the experiences of children and communities in other parts of the world.

This year’s programme brings those issues to life in a very tangible way, showing pupils how children and communities elsewhere are responding to environmental challenges in their own lives. I am delighted to launch the 2027 Our World Awards and I would encourage primary schools across Ireland to get involved.

The 2027 Our World Awards will culminate next summer, when winning entries from schools across Ireland will be recognised and showcased nationally.

ENDS

13 October 2026