Nominations open for Waterford Garda Youth Awards celebrating 'outstanding' young people

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Waterford-Kilkenny Garda Youth Awards, which celebrate "outstanding" young people. 

Entires will be accepted until 5 pm on May 1st, with the ceremony taking place on May 20th at the Tower Hotel in Waterford City. 

The Awards celebrate outstanding young people aged between 13 and 21, while recognising the good work they are doing throughout their communities. 

"Many of these young role models work quietly in the background, but their positive impact is felt by everyone around them," Kilkenny County Council said in a post on Facebook. 

Some of the award categories include an Individual Award, a Group Award, a Special Achievement Award, and a Community Safety Award.

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Winners of Divisional Awards are submitted to the national judging panel, which selects five winners in each category.

Details of when and where the National Awards are due to take place are to be confirmed.

The nomination form can be downloaded here.

The first ever Garda Divisional Youth Awards was created by a local Juvenile Liaison Officer in West Cork in 1995.

He noticed that the young people in the community were doing "tremendous things which deserved recognition." 

In 2019, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris launched the first-ever An Garda Síochána National Youth Awards.

"The inaugural Garda National Youth Awards will be a showcase for the positive contribution young people are making in their communities. The awards at national and divisional levels are a great way for Gardaí to develop strong relationships with community groups and young people in their area," he said.