Irish and International Young Philosopher Awards
AWARDEES
Wednesday 25 May 2022
On-line Awards
5 & 6th Class (Primary)
Winner:
Lyla Kenny
A weed is a plant whose virtue is not yet discovered
5th Class, St Joseph's Primary School, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo
Equal Runners-up:
Cara Griffin, Ansha Venkat and Emma Buzulan
Why do we strive for perfection if it is unattainable?
6th Class John Scottus National School, Co. Dublin
Lucas Thubron
My thoughts on trust and truth
6th class, Scoil Bhride, Fourmilehouse, Co. Roscommon
Highly commended:
Anna Sweeney
Is trust an opinion?
5th class, John Scottus National School, Co. Dublin
Stanley Cox
Should a country's people be blamed for its wars?
5th class, Glebe National School, Co. Wicklow
1st & 2nd Year (Secondary)
Winner:
Shahed Al Moubayed and Josie Flanagan
Are we all in the same boat?
1st Year, St Brendan's Community School, Birr, Co. Offaly
Equal Runners-up:
Emma Power, Caoimhe Maynard, Marya Kasavskyte
Are our personalities based on nature or nurture?
2nd Year, Naas Community College, Co. Kildare
James Garret Molloy
Is Trust Racist?
2nd Year, Belvedere College, Co. Dublin
Highly commended:
Stefan Scully
What is the meaning of life?
2nd Year, Naas Community College
Áine O’Sullivan
What is time?
1st Year, Naas Community College, Co. Kildare
Amy Lamont and Caitimai Mckeagney
Is it better to be honest or dishonest?
1st year, Naas Community College, Co. Kildare
Emma Teskey, Orla Devers
What is Beauty?
1st Year, Swords Community College, Co. Dublin
Abigail G, Katie N, Ciara N, Aimee B
Why do we strive for perfection?
1st Year Naas Community College, Co. Kildare
3 & 4th year
Equal Winners:
Seán Radcliffe
Wheels or Doors?
4th Year, Gonzaga College, Co. Dublin
Mary Roe
What do you have to do to become a good person?
4th Year, Loreto secondary school, Co. Wexford
Runner-up:
Justin Ikwu
Toxic Positivity
4th Year Gonzaga College, Co. Dublin
Highly commended:
Margaret Nnadi
What is the meaning of the statement ‘Product of Environment’?
4th Year, Dominican College Taylor’s Hill, Co. Galway
Zach Keenan
The Philosophy of Choice
4th Year, Gonzaga College, Co. Dublin
Toby Burns
What is the meaning of Life?
4th Year Gonzaga College SJ, Co. Dublin
Shane Collins
What makes you, you?
3rd Year, Temple Carrig School, Co. Wicklow
Ella Carley
Why Does Man Crave Identity and How Fundamental is it to Existence as We Know It?
4th Year, Loreto Secondary School, Co. Wexford
Anni Chen
What makes a good person?
4th Year, Dominican College Taylor’s Hill, Co. Galway
Nina Devine
Empathy and the 2D Face
3rd Year, Scoil Pól, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick
Hayley Donohue Gray
The Problem of beauty standards
4th Year, Our Lady’s Grove Secondary School, Co. Dublin
5 & 6 year (Secondary)
Winner:
Shane Burke
How are things different from one another?
6th Year, CBS Dungarvan, Co. Waterford
Runner up:
Philippa Brennan
The Sublime and why it matters
5th Year St. Bricin's College, Belturbet, Co. Cavan
Highly commended:
Callum O’Keefe
Is there any observable objective truth in our universe?
5th Year, St. Columba's College, Co. Dublin
Cyan McNiece
What makes life worth living?
Year 13, Slemish College, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Individual Entry:
Winner:
Niklas Moelders
Was Mathematics Invented or Discovered?
6th Year, East Glendalough School, Co. Wicklow
Runner up:
Fionn Curran
Does Physics Need Metaphysics?
5th Year, Terenure College, Co. Dublin
Small Group:
Winner:
Aaron, Jack and Joshua
What is curiosity?
5th Year, Wilson's Hospital School, Co. Westmeath
Runner up:
Harry Stewart, Cormac Hannon, Owen Taylor
Why do we value art that is not conventionally beautiful?
4th Year, Gonzaga College, Co. Dublin
Highly commended:
Alex Seckerson (3rd Year), Jade Ayres (TY) and Sanese Lamberga (5th Year)
What do we not learn in School?
St. Mary's College, Dundalk, Co. Louth
Erin Farren, Ella Ryan, Sophia Harford, Isabelle Barrett and Valeria Kudrjasova
Should animals be tested on?
1st Year, Swords Community College, Co. Dublin
Liam Dalton and Niall Kearney
What is the meaning of Life?
Year 13, Slemish College, Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland
Aoife O’Neill and Katie Sayers
What is intelligence?
Our Lady’s Grove Secondary School, Co. Dublin
Class
Winner:
Class 6A
When does a holiday stop being a holiday?
6th Class, St Kilian’s Deutsche Schule, Co. Dublin
Runner up:
1st Year students
Philosophical Musings
Temple Carrig School, Co. Wicklow
Highly commended:
Class 6B
What is normal?
6th Class, St Kilian’s Deutsche Schule, Co. Dublin
Philosophy for our Time
Winner:
Cecelia Dowling
The Impacts of Social Media as the Modern-Day Panopticon
5th Year, Scoil Pól, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick
Runner up:
Zi Qi Ma
Why do we lack empathy for war?
4th Year St Andrews College, Co. Dublin
Highly commended:
Joseph Abaya
The future of AI and the ethics behind it: What does humanity really need?
4ht Year St Paul’s CBS Brunswick St, Co. Dublin
Liam O’Sullivan
A question of neutrality
Portumna Community School, Co. Galway
Aine Sheehan
Should commercial surrogacy be legalised in Ireland?
5th Year, St Mary’s Secondary School, Macroom, Co. Cork
Arianna Hertz (5th year LCA) and Mya Higgins (3rd year),
Social stigma
Scoil Pol, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick
Most Creative Philosophical Entry
Winner:
David Obayagbona
Technology in the Future
4th Year, St Paul's CBS Secondary, Co. Dublin
Runner up:
Aaron Lawlor, Jack and Joshua
What is curiosity?
5th Year, Wilson's Hospital School, Co Westmeath
Highly commended:
The Female Empowerment Group
Does how males talk about females influence how they treat them?
3rd Year, Cabinteely Community School, Co. Dublin
Robert Walford
Does reincarnation exist?
1st Year, Naas Community College, Co. Kildare
Malgorzata Kurs
Why do we protect dangerous things?
2nd Year, Naas Community College, Co. Kildare
Grand Prizes
Overall Equal Winners:
Shane Burke
How are things different from one another?
6th Year, CBS Dungarvan. Co. Waterford
And
Cecelia Dowling
The Impacts of Social Media as the Modern-Day Panopticon
5th Year, Scoil Pól, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick
Overall Equal Runners-Up
Seán Radcliffe
Wheels or Doors?
4th Year, Gonzaga College, Co. Dublin
And
Lyla Kenny 5th class
A weed is a plant whose virtue is not yet discovered
5th Class, St Joseph's Primary School, Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo