Waterford student wins major enterprise award for one-of-a-kind business creation

Ferrybank business ‘Teenage Dirtbag’ from Abbey Community College has won Best Senior Student Enterprise in Waterford, now qualifying for the National Student Enterprise Finals. 

With the county final taking place on March 11 at the SETU Arena, ‘Sweeteners’ from Mercy Convent Secondary School also won for Best Junior Student Enterprise. Deputy Mayor, Cllr John Pratt presented the awards to the delighted winners. 

Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Waterford, the competition is the most successful programme of its kind in the country. Nearly 30,000 student entrepreneurs from 380 secondary schools across the country have been running their own enterprises, with help from their teachers and LEO.  

‘Teenage Dirtbag,’ winner of the senior award, was created by Lilly Magee. She produced and sold a natural, environmentally-friendly gear bag deodoriser. Lilly wanted to “combine handcrafted quality, all-natural activated charcoal technology, and playful, relatable branding that speaks directly to the sports community, while being budget-friendly and environmentally conscious.” 

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Last year’s junior winners, the first in Waterford in nearly 10 years, came from the Mercy Convent Secondary School. This year, the school successfully repeated the feat with a first year business named ‘Sweeteners.’ This was founded and run by Sara Malaj, who sold desserts such as brownies and cookies both inside the school and to businesses in the county. 

The Waterford Student Enterprise Programme started in September with over 1,000 students from 14 schools in the city and county. They created, developed, branded, promoted and sold from their businesses while learning what it felt like to run it themselves. 

80 students represented 10 schools from the county, all competing in the Waterford Student Enterprise Final. 35 businesses in total, shortlisted from a total of 350 who commenced the competition in September, presented their business plans and aimed for the top prize in the county section of the Student Enterprise Programme. 

‘Teenage Dirtbag’ and ‘Sweeteners' will now represent Waterford at the National Finals on May 7, taking on other county winners. National finalists from all over the country will set-up enterprise displays before taking part in a series of judges’ interviews. The judging panels take numerous factors into account, such as business reporting, innovation, market research, risk management and finances. 

Praising the teachers and local schools involved in the programme, Gareth Evans, Head of Enterprise at LEO Waterford, said: “We run a very successful and popular Student Enterprise Programme here in Waterford, thanks to the support of the many schools and teachers in the area. The Student Enterprise Awards give local teenagers a taste of what it’s like to run their own business and to be their own boss. 

“The Student Enterprise Awards encourages and enables students to take on the world of business and develop an entrepreneurial mind-set. By fostering an enterprising culture in the classroom, the Local Enterprise Offices are working with teachers and schools to help nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs,” he added. 

Further information about May’s National Finals is available through www.studententerprise.ie which also has free resources and video tutorials for students and teachers for the 2026/2027 programme. 

For more information, please contact your LEO at 35 the Mall in Waterford City or Civic Offices in Dungarvan. Alternatively, you can email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie