· Rathmore Grammar School wins Best Northern Ireland School and student Eoin Rossney-Hyde wins Best Project category for his project, titled “The application of abstract mathematical theories to mitigate against racial and gender bias in AI”
· Sisters Ciara Murphy age 17, Saoirse Murphy age 15, and Laoise Murphy age 12, overall winners at the 61st BTYSTE, and 25th exhibition under BT’s custodianship, for their project titled “ACT (Aid Care Treat): App-timising emergency response”
· Fourteen projects from eight Northern Ireland schools are finalists of this year’s BTYSTE, and this year’s exhibition saw amongst the highest number of entries received by BT for the exhibition in eight years
· A limited number of tickets are still available for the final day of the exhibition tomorrow, (Saturday January 11) at https://ticketing.btyoungscientist.com
Friday, January 10, 2025: All the winners of the 61st BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) has been announced. Rathmore Grammar School won the prize for Best Northern Ireland School and student Eoin Rossney-Hyde took home the prize for Best Northern Ireland Project for his project at this year’s exhibition.
Fourteen projects from eight schools in Northern Ireland participated in this year’s BTYSTE and were among the highest number of entries that BT received for the exhibition in eight years.
The 61st exhibition is a particularly significant milestone for BT, as the organisation celebrates 25 years as custodian and organiser of the Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (YSTE). Since Dr. Tony Scott and the late Fr. Tom Burke created the YSTE in the 1960s, the exhibition has inspired many generations to look to STEM to improve the world around them, and in the past 25 years, BT has introduced several initiatives, including several specific to Northern Ireland, that have evolved the exhibition even further. These initiatives include:
· A bursary for senior category winners into one of eight third level institutions in Ireland, through the Irish Universities Association
· The BTYSTE is a partner of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards in Northern Ireland, allowing entrants to use their entry towards achieving the award, as well as an equivalent partner of The GAISCE President’s Award in the Republic of Ireland
· The first BT Young Scientist Business Bootcamp in 2010, which provides 30 BTYSTE participants with commercialisation and entrepreneurship skills for their future careers
· The introduction of the Primary Science Fair, the first science exhibition of its kind for 3rd to 6th class primary school students
· The introduction of a travel and accommodation grant to help students who would need to travel considerable distances to compete at the BTYSTE, distributing £1.25million to schools across the island of Ireland since 2006.
Education Minister, Paul Givan, said: “Congratulations to the exceptional young people from Northern Ireland who were successful at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2025. This is a tremendous achievement and a well-deserved acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of those involved. Their innovative projects and commitment to solving complex problems reflect the remarkable talent and creativity nurtured within our schools.
This event highlights the critical importance of equipping our young people with STEM skills in a rapidly changing world. The exhibition winners are testament to the enthusiasm, innovation and depth of knowledge shown by our young people in Northern Ireland.”
Regional Director for BT Business Northern Ireland, Paul Murnaghan said: ‘’It has been a fantastic week at the RDS in Dublin, and I would like to congratulate all the Northern Ireland finalists of this year’s exhibition, including Eoin Rossney-Hyde who was recognised as a category winner this evening.
The incredible, STEM focused ideas of this year’s finalists demonstrate how bright the future is for the sector. It is a particularly momentous year for all the BT team on this island, as we celebrate 25 years as custodian of this incredible event, and I would also like to thank my colleagues who volunteered this week and made the 2025 exhibition so special.”
Ciara Murphy, Saoirse Murphy and Laoise Murphy from Kerry announced as overall winners of the 61st BTYSTE
This evening, sisters Ciara Murphy age 17, Saoirse Murphy age 15, and Laoise Murphy age 12 in 5th, 3rd and 1st year respectively, from Presentation Secondary School Tralee in Kerry have won the top prize with their project, ACT (Aid Care Treat): App-timising emergency response.
ACT is a medical assistance app designed to support emergency healthcare responses. It integrates crucial features to provide swift and effective aid during critical situations. This is the second year this project has been recognised at the exhibition having previously been awarded Runner-Up Group in 2024.
The 2025 BTYSTE winners are the 61st group of people to win the overall prize, and as this year’s BT Young Scientist & Technologist (s) of the Year Award winners, take home £6,200. This year, for the first time ever, the overall BTYSTE winner, along with one senior project from each of the four remaining categories, will be awarded a trip to the World Expo, in Osaka, Japan. Held every five years, World Expo brings the world together to explore the future of industry, technology, and progress. Inspired by Ireland’s theme ‘Creativity Connects People,’ the winners will have the opportunity to create meaningful intercultural connections, experience cutting-edge science, and showcase their research on a global stage. The overall winner of BTYSTE 2025 will also represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Riga, Latvia this September.
Tickets to attend the BTYSTE on the final day of the exhibition tomorrow (Saturday January 11), can be purchased at https://ticketing.btyoungscientist.com/ or at the venue.
For more information on the exhibition, please visit the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition website or follow @BTYSTE on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube or Snapchat.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
For more information, please contact:
Amy Kennerk / Erica Brown / Saoirse Whelan
Teneo
+353 (0) 85 835 5264 / +353 (0) 83 395 9458 / +353 (0) 87 954 3089
· A full schedule of events, as well as photography and video highlights from the first two days of the 61st BTYSTE are available on the exhibition’s portal
About BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition
The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is designed to raise schools’ engagement in the critical subjects of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). The Exhibition calls upon students aged 12-19 years from all over the island of Ireland to showcase innovative science and technology projects. In 2022, the Exhibition reached almost 8 million visitors around the world through its virtual portal. The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition is supported by valued partners including the Department of Education (ROI), Analog Devices, Amgen, Stripe, and RTÉ. Learn more at www.btyoungscientist.com.
About BT Group
BT Group is the UK’s leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications and related secure digital products, solutions and services. We also provide managed telecommunications, security and network and IT infrastructure services to customers across 180 countries.
BT Group consists of three customer-facing units: Consumer serves individuals and families in the UK; Business covers companies and public services in the UK and internationally; Openreach is an independently governed, wholly owned subsidiary wholesaling fixed access infrastructure services to its customers – over 650 communications providers across the UK.
British Telecommunications plc is a wholly owned subsidiary of BT Group plc and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
For more information, visit www.bt.com/about.
