BT Young Scientist Annual Competition

The Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, commonly called the Young Scientist Exhibition, is an Irish annual school students' science competition that has been held in the Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland, every January since the competition was founded by Tom Burke and Tony Scott in 1965. The purpose of the competition is to encourage interest in science in secondary schools.

Students apply to participate in the competition. Their science project entries are evaluated by judges and about one-third of applicants are accepted to participate in the public exhibition. Students are allocated exhibition stands in an exhibition hall where they set up their projects for viewing by the public. Competing projects are judged during the three days of the exhibition, and prizes are awarded.

Projects are awarded in five categories: biology, physics, social and behavioural sciences, health and wellbeing and technology. Health and wellbeing is the newest category, only being added in 2023 to celebrate the 60th anniversary and to lower admissions to social and behavioural sciences.

Three levels of entry are accepted, junior, intermediate and senior. In each category three main prizes are awarded; other prizes include a display award, highly commended rosettes, and a cancer awareness award. The winners of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition advance to participate in prestigious international events such as the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) in 2026 will be held in Januaryat the RDS in Dublin. Over 4,000 students from 352 schools across Ireland participated in 2025 with 2,069 project entries. The event showcases shortlisted projects from various STEM fields. 
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Amy and MaryAnne who proudly represented PPSS Fethard and Tipperary in the national exhibition in 2022.

(Article in The Nationalist can be read here)