November The ‘Reel’ Deal - Ireland’s Best Young Science Filmmakers honoured at Galway Science and Technology Festival

ReelLIFE SCIENCE video competition prizes awarded to schools and youth groups in eight counties - Leitrim, Cork, Kilkenny, Dublin, Mayo, Roscommon, Limerick and Galway.

From the Science of Glass to the theories of Albert Einstein and from a Tour of the Heart to Why We Should Brush Our Teeth, short science videos made by young Irish filmmakers have been celebrated at the 10^th Annual ReelLIFE SCIENCE Awards in University of Galway.

The even took place on Sunday November 13^th, as part of Science Week 2022 and the 25^th Galway Science and Technology Festival. 

More than 400 short science films were entered into the competition by more than 3,000 young science enthusiasts. 

It is a record level of engagement with the ReelLIFE Science competition with 140 schools and youth groups taking part across the island of Ireland. 

Winning videos were selected by a panel of guest judges including aeronautical engineer and author Dr Norah Patten; ‘Superhero Scientist’ and author Dr Barry Fitzgerald; and the 2022 BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition winners, Aditya Kumar and Aditya Joshi from Synge Street CBS in Dublin.

All of the winning videos can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/ReelLifeScience

A shared folder with high res images is available at ReelLIFEScience photos 2022 

ReelLIFE SCIENCE Winners

1^st Prize Primary School - Twelve talented fifth and sixth class students from Saint Hugh’s NS in Kilmore, Co Leitrim, along with their teacher Pádraig Kenny, won the €1,000 first prize for their video ‘Dr Magnifico’ explaining Albert Einstein’s theories of relativity. 

Runners-up Primary School - Ingenious junior infants of Bandonbridge NS, Co Cork demonstrated ‘Why We Should Brush Our Teeth’, while fifth and sixth class students from Scoil na nAingeal Naofa from Boyle, Co. Roscommon finished third with an exploration of ‘The Endocrine System’.

1^st Prize Post-Primary - Accomplished animator Isadora Lowe, a transition year student from Ursuline Secondary School in Cork, guided by teacher Niamh O’Mahony, claimed the €1000 award for the stop-motion short ‘Tooth-in-Eye Surgery’. 

Runners-up Post-Primary - Lauren Kinsella from Alexandra College, Dublin 6, with the illuminating ‘The Science of Glass’, while Elizabeth Boland and Heather Shanahan from Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ in Limerick were awarded third place, while examining ‘How is Fight or Flight connected to Test Anxiety’. 

1^st Prize Youth Organisation - Young filmmaker Maya Coffey, from Johnswell Youth Club Co Kilkenny, with the support of Youth Leader Breda Gill, won the €1000 prize for a video following a red blood cell called ‘Haemo’ on an educational ‘Tour of the Heart’. 

Runners-up Youth Organisation - Foróige Connect group from Castlebar, Co Mayo came second under the guidance of youth officer Clement Quinn for exploring the ‘Wood Wide Web’,, while third place went to Galway Foróige AV Club, directed by youth officer Erika King, while looking at ‘How a Camera is like an Eye’. 

Special Category Awards

Teamwork Award - Sooey NS, Co Sligo

Being Green Award - Scoil Chiaráin, Dublin 11

Science and Me Award - Ladyswell NS, Co Dublin

Science Song Award - Presentation Secondary School Clonmel, Co Tipperary 

Físeán Gaeilge is Fearr - Gaelscoil Riabhach, Co Galway

Addressing the young filmmakers at the awards ceremony, Dr. Barry Fitzgerald said: “I was delighted to be one of the judges for the ReelLIFE SCIENCE video competition for schools and youth organisations for 2022. The level of the videos was just incredible – I loved watching them. I’d like to congratulate everyone who entered the competition and I encourage you to keep on making videos about science in the future.”

The ReelLIFE SCIENCE programme challenges young people in schools and youth groups across the island of Ireland to engage with science and technology while developing their communication and digital skills, by producing short educational videos for the public. 

Since being launched in 2013 by a team  of scientists from the University of Galway College of Science and Engineering, this challenge has been met by over 23,000 young people, supported by teachers and staff in more than 680 schools and youth groups. 

ReelLIFE SCIENCE Founding Director Dr Enda O’Connell, was awarded Galway Science Person of the Year 2022 at the Galway Science and Technology Festival for his efforts over 10 years working on the programme. 

After the awards were presented he said: “We were delighted again this year with the response to the competition, particularly with so many new schools and youth groups getting involved for the first time. We are always inspired by the inventiveness and creativity shown by the participants in their videos, and their passion for science and technology is clear to see. Congratulations to everyone who took part.”

ReelLIFE SCIENCE is supported by the Science Foundation Ireland Discover Programme, the CÚRAM Centre for Research in Biomedical Devices, the Community Knowledge Initiative, the Cell EXPLORERS programme and Foróige. 

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