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The Re-turn Awards 2027 are open for entries, inviting Irish schools and third-level campuses to showcase creative uses of the Deposit Return Scheme.
The Re-turn Awards 2027 are now open for entries, encouraging schools and third-level campuses across Ireland to demonstrate creative ways of using the Deposit Return Scheme. Launched on 24th September by former primary school teacher and content creator Kayleigh Trappe, the awards are in their second year and for the first time include post-primary schools alongside primary schools and third-level communities.
Entries close on Tuesday, 23rd February 2027.
Expanded Eligibility and Prize Fund
One primary school and one post-primary school will each receive a top prize of €5,000, while a further 10 schools will each receive €1,000. Third-level entrants can compete for 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.
The inclusion of post-primary schools marks a significant expansion of the programme, which previously only recognised primary and third-level institutions. This change aims to engage more young people in sustainability efforts through the Deposit Return Scheme.
Judging Focus on Story and Impact
Judges are interested in the story behind each project rather than just the quantity of cans and bottles collected. They want to know what inspired the project, how students and staff got involved, what participants learned, and the difference their efforts made.
Projects can range from a themed recycling day or class challenge to a campus-wide fundraising campaign or a student-led sustainability project. The judging criteria include leadership, learning, creativity, engagement and overall impact, with the size and circumstances of each entry also taken into account.
Last year, almost 400 entries were submitted, highlighting the diverse ways schools and third-level communities used their Re-turns to raise funds, support communities and promote recycling.
Encouraging Student Leadership
For Re-turn Chief Marketing Officer Dermot Mulligan, the awards are an opportunity for students to take the lead. He said the response to last year's awards was overwhelming, with schools and campuses coming up with brilliant ideas to use their Re-turns to raise funds, support their communities and get more people thinking about recycling.
Mulligan added that the introduction of post-primary schools should bring even more young people into the initiative, giving students a chance to come up with their own ideas and show what they can achieve together.
Post-primary students can run projects through Transition Year, CSPE, Student Councils, Green Committees, subject departments, year groups or other school teams.
Whether it is a small class initiative, a student-led fundraising campaign or a whole-campus sustainability project, the message from Re-turn is clear: it is not just about how many cans and bottles are collected, but about what happens next.
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