Waterford students shine at national software and coding competition awards ceremony

Waterford students have celebrated winning awards for their superb software skills as part of a national competition.

Three students of Abbey Community College, Ferrybank, were among the prize winners at the annual National Scratch Coding Competition.

The 2024 Scratch Finals took place at the University of Limerick this Wednesday, May 22, where hundreds of students across the country flocked to the awards ceremony organised by Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software and the Irish Computer Society.

The annual competition, now in its 14th year, saw Ireland’s best young coders from primary and post-primary schools present their project to the competition judges. The keynote address at the finals was given by BT Young Scientist Winner 2024 Seán O’Sullivan.

Ryan Duggan, Vita Marohnic and Zak Alik from Abbey Community College were each presented with Judges’ Awards for their projects in the first to third year category. 

Lero’s education and public engagement manager, Dr Clare McInerney, said Lero’s involvement in the Scratch competition is crucial for a critical reason: “Software is everywhere, it is all around us and it has never been so important that children and young people learn not just how to use it but also how it works.

“What we witness at the culmination of the National Scratch Competition Finals is the payoff of months of hard graft by the contestants, their teachers and families and let me tell you, it’s awe-inspiring.”

Irish Computer Society secretary general, Lucy Hayes, said: “Technology can be a game-changer if you know how to use it, and Scratch proves just that – it’s all about having some fun while learning some very worthwhile skills.  

“It’s a near certainty that some of the people here in UL today will be the IT leaders of tomorrow, but even if they take different routes, I’m sure their engagement in the competition will set them up as savvy digital citizens,” she added.

Dr McInerney said this year, there were more than 398 entries with 63% male and 36% female participants.

“We congratulate all of today’s finalists and those who supported them on their journey. Our panel of 15 judges were so impressed by the quality and originality of the projects that some have asked to come back next year,” she added.

Visit www.Scratch.ie for more information about Scratch and the Scratch competition.