The GreenYard team from Our Lady’s Bower came up with the ‘Rebag’ idea. At the County Enterprise Awards, where ‘Rebag’ emerged as the senior winner were, from left, Trina Murray, LEO Westmeath; Christine Charlton, head of Enterprise, LEO Westmeath; An Cathaoirleach Cllr Aoife Davitt; students Amy Reynolds, Hannah O’Connor and Ruby Duane, Our Lady’s Bower; Barry Kehoe, chief executive, WCC; and Catriona Duffy, business advisor, LEO Westmeath.

National final of Student Enterprise Programme in Mullingar this Thursday

Published: Tue 5 May 2026, 11:44 AM

The national final of the Student Enterprise Programme is on Thursday, May 7, in the Mullingar Park Hotel.

It is Ireland’s largest student entrepreneurship initiative, now in its 24th year, and more than 500,000 secondary school students have started and grown real businesses since 2003.

This year 88 shortlisted student enterprise projects will show their business concept and success to the judges, and one will be awarded the title of ‘Student Enterprise of the Year’.

Each year, the competition challenges students to create, setup and run their own business. Entrants must show viable sales of their service or product to be in with a chance of making the national final. Projects range from tech and agricultural innovations to homemade crafts, furniture and clothing.

Participating students will compete in three categories, Junior (1st year), Intermediate (2nd and 3rd year) and Senior (4th, 5th and 6th year, LVA, LCA and Youth Outreach).

There are also prizes awarded for excellence in sustainability and intellectual property.

Juding is between 9am and noon on Thursday, and the awards ceremony (sponsored awards) starts at 1pm following a lunch break.

The main awards ceremony (overall category awards and overall winners) is from 2pm to 3pm.

Students from local schools for national entrepreneurship final