Roscrea students take top prize at national AI showcase

A group of forward-thinking students from Roscrea Education Centre in Tipperary have been crowned overall winners of The B!G Idea, Ireland’s award-winning creative education programme, at The B!G Showcase event in Dublin today.

Their stand-out concept, ‘FutureWork AI’, is an innovative app designed to help young people navigate the future of work in an AI-driven world.

Responding to growing concerns about AI’s impact on the workforce, Roscrea's Team FutureWork AI developed an app concept that empowers students to understand how AI could affect different careers, discover the skills and courses they’ll need to stay competitive, and connect directly with colleges and resources for support.

The B!G Showcase marked the end of this year’s B!G Idea programme, which equips young people with creative problem-solving skills to address real-world challenges. Now in its fifth year, The B!G Idea continues to bridge education, industry, and community by encouraging innovation, critical thinking, and collaboration across Ireland.

Commenting from today’s showcase event, Kim Mackenzie-Doyle, CEO of The B!G Idea, said: “This year’s winning idea doesn’t just raise awareness—it inspires action, giving young people the knowledge, tools, and confidence to shape their own future. It demonstrates exactly why The B!G Idea programme is so vital for Ireland’s future.

Pictured above are Roscrea's Team FutureWork AI facilitator Aisling Kate Ryan with Kim Mackenzie-Doyle, CEO of The B!G Idea. Photo: PJ Wright

"Our young people are facing unprecedented challenges – from AI to climate change – and creative thinking is the skill that will equip them to tackle the unknown.

“In addition to the innovation shown by the students from Roscrea Education Centre, we have seen inspiring creativity and passion from all students this year. It’s fantastic to see such a wide range of fresh ideas tackling complex issues—from sustainability to social justice—and it gives me real hope for the future,” she said.

By empowering students from all backgrounds and all geographies to solve real-world problems with creative thinking, collaboration, and confidence, The B!G Idea is supporting a diverse generation ready to lead, innovate, and thrive in Ireland’s future economy.

“Congratulations to Team FutureWork AI, their fantastic facilitator Aisling Kate Ryan, and their brilliant mentors Patrick Molloy – Dolmen Design & Innovation, Paul Geeleher – University College Cork, Neasa Egan – PA Consulting, Pallavi Sadangaya – FINEOS Corporation Ltd, and Alan Travers – Linesight, whose guidance and encouragement helped bring this stand-out idea to life.”

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In addition to the overall winners, this year’s B!G Idea Awards recognised student teams across a range of themes, including another win for Tipperary with the Tackling Poverty Award (supported by The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland) won by Team Hermosa from St. Joseph’s College, Borrisoleigh, Co. Tipperary.

This team developed the concept of a peer tutoring platform, funded by businesses, to connect students in need with free academic support.