Schools and third-level campuses across Ireland are being encouraged to get creative with their cans and bottles as the Re-turn Awards 2027 officially open for entries.
Now in its second year, the awards are celebrating the imaginative ways students, teachers, staff and campus communities are using Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme to make a difference.
And this year, there’s an exciting new addition: Post-primary schools can enter for the first time, joining primary schools and third-level communities in the nationwide programme.
The awards were launched on 24th September by former primary school teacher and content creator Kayleigh Trappe alongside pupils from Queen of Angels Primary School and students St. Tiernan's Community School.
One primary school and one post-primary school will each receive a €5,000 top prize, while a further 10 schools will each receive €1,000.
For third-level entrants, there are Gold, Silver and Bronze awards worth €5,000, €2,000 and €1,000 respectively, as well as 11 category awards worth €650 each and a new Applied Learning Award.
But the awards aren't simply about who can collect the most cans and bottles.
Instead, the judges want to hear the story behind each project - what inspired it, how students and staff got involved, what they learned and, most importantly, what difference their efforts made.
That could mean anything from a themed recycling day or class challenge to a campus-wide fundraising campaign or a student-led sustainability project.
Last year, almost 400 entries were submitted, highlighting the huge range of ways schools and third-level communities were putting their Re-turns to work.
This year, post-primary students are being given the chance to take an even bigger role. Projects could be run through Transition Year, CSPE, Student Councils, Green Committees, subject departments, year groups or other school teams.
For Re-turn Chief Marketing Officer Dermot Mulligan, that's exactly what makes the awards so exciting.
“We were absolutely blown away by the response to the Re-turn Awards last year. Schools and campuses across the country really got behind it, coming up with brilliant ways to use their Re-turns to raise funds, support their communities and get more people thinking about recycling.”
He says the introduction of post-primary schools should bring even more young people into the initiative.
“It gives students a chance to take the lead, come up with their own ideas and show what they can achieve together.”
The judging will take into account leadership, learning, creativity, engagement and overall impact, with the size and circumstances of each entry considered too.
How to enter
Enter now at re-turn.ie/awards and share how you are Re-turning it Right.
Primary and post-primary schools: Entries close on Friday, 12th February 2027.
Third-level communities: Entries close on Tuesday, 23rd February 2027.
All winners will be brought together for a celebration ceremony at Croke Park on 13th April 2027.
Whether it’s a small class initiative, a student-led fundraising campaign or a whole-campus sustainability project, the message from Re-turn is simple: it’s not just about how many cans and bottles are collected - it’s about what happens next.
So, schools and campuses across Ireland, it’s time to get creative and start Re-turning it Right!
