Applications close in one month for 2025 BTYSTE

Pictured is Mari Cahalane, Head of the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, with April Giffney (12), Harry O’Leary (17) and Rosheen Sharma (16), announcing that there is one month to go before applications close for the 2025 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, at 5pm on September 27. (Pic: Mark Stedman)

BT Ireland encourages secondary school students aged 12-19 years to submit their project ideas for the 2025 BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) before applications close on September 27. This year, BT Ireland opened entries for the BTYSTE earlier than ever in May, to allow students as much time as possible to turn their creative ideas into project entries.

Next year’s BTYSTE will take place from January 8-11, 2025 and will once again showcase incredible projects from students across the five categories of Technology, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Biological and Ecological Sciences, Chemical, Physical, Mathematical Sciences, and Health and Wellbeing.

Hundreds of prizes will be on offer to finalists across the various categories and age groups, amounting to a total prize fund of €50,000. The overall winner(s) of the BTYSTE 2025 will also take home the BT Young Scientist & Technologist(s) of the Year Award, worth €7,500, and will go on to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in 2026.

Speaking ahead of the 2025 BTYSTE project entry deadline, Mari Cahalane, Head of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition said: “Throughout BT Ireland’s 25 years as lead  sponsor of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition, it has been fantastic to see first-hand the impact that the exhibition, and the students taking part, have had on Ireland’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) sector.

“The BTYSTE is an opportunity like no other for secondary school students in Ireland to turn ideas into initiatives and develop a lifelong passion for STEM. We are thrilled that this year we are able to provide further funding to schools through the Accommodation Grant Scheme to support as many schools as possible to participate in Exhibition week.”

ACCOMMODATION GRANT SCHEME

Since BT Ireland launched the Accommodation Grant Scheme in 2006, the company has contributed €1,358,950 in funding to qualified projects from schools located 70km or more outside of the exhibition venue in Dublin – including €328,800 in funding to Cork schools.

To give more support for schools in the DEIS schools programme taking part in the BTYSTE, DEIS schools located 70km or more from the RDS in Dublin will now be eligible for 20% more grant funding under the Accommodation Grant Scheme. In those schools, an individual project finalist will receive €180 and a group of finalists €360 towards their accommodation costs for attending the BTYSTE in Dublin.

For those DEIS schools that are not eligible for the accommodation grant, they will receive separate funding of €50 for each shortlisted project, to a maximum grant of €500 per school.

Entrants will need to fill out an application form and the all-important one-page proposal outlining their idea. To submit a project to the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2025, please visit: btyoungscientist.com (https://enter.btyoungscientist.ie). To find out more information on the exhibition, visit btyoungscientist.com or follow @BTYSTE on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube and Snapchat (username BTYSTE).