The National Scratch Competition Finals were held at the University of Limerick on May 18, bringing together the top scoring teams from all over the country. School students aged six and up across five age categories were invited to demonstrate their Scratch projects to the judges. This year saw over 160 entries nationwide to the competition.
Now in its twelfth year, the National Scratch Competition has established itself among both teachers and students as a leading platform and showcase for Ireland’s aspiring digital creators. The competition is run by the Irish Computer Society (ICS), the representative body for IT professionals in Ireland and Lero, the SFI Research Centre for Software. Awards were provided by AWS In Communities, a programme of Amazon Web Services.
ICS supports the Scratch competition as it is an ideal introduction to programming for young people, allowing development and sharing of their own interactive stories, games, and animations.
Scratch is a visual programming language that makes it easy for young people to create their own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art – and share their creations on the web. Using Scratch allows students to develop creative and critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills as they work collaboratively or individually on Scratch projects.
According to Clare McInerney, Lero’s EPE Programme Manager, “The standard for this year’s competition has been incredibly high, it was a very difficult task for our judges this year. I want to say a huge congratulations to everyone that took part in this year’s competition, The Scratch programme provides young students with real, hands-on coding experience and highlights how important it is our everyday lives.”
Frank Mockler, General Manager, Irish Computer Society said, “Events like the national Scratch competition allow Ireland’s upcoming cohort of digital creators to demonstrate their critical thinking, their creativity, and their innovation. We need to make sure that young people see the value and potential of technology and learn to own and control it. Some of the participants today may go on to be the IT professionals of tomorrow – but even if they don’t, we hope that taking part has helped them develop new skills and become empowered digital citizens. Congratulations not just to all the winners today, but to everyone who took part”
We are delighted to announce the below winners in their respective categories and selected from over 160 entries nationwide:
Agnes Martin (pictured), St Joseph’s College, Lucan, Co. Dublin, won the top prize as Overall Winner for her entry ‘Believe’ at the National Scratch Coding Competition
Best Animation: ‘Farm Safety,’ Colaiste Chiarain, Ballinamona, Co. Limerick
Best Technical Sophistication: ‘Contrast,’ Hughie McShane & Joseph McCallig, Abbey Vocational School, Donegal.
Best Educational Content: ‘Welcome to my home: Beautiful Croatia,’ Vita Marohnic, Abbey Community College, Waterford.
Best Social Project: ‘Food Chain Game,’ Freya Tollett and Eloise Devine, St. Annins National School, Galway.
Special Achievement: ‘Fish Tap,’ Leah O Sullivan, Banogue N.S., Croom, Co. Limerick
Judges Award: ‘Unknown Tourist Attractions,’ Claire Foyle, Sacred Heart Secondary School, Clonakilty, Co. Cork.
Judges Award: ‘Scratch Calculator,’ Adam Carroll, Kilglass NS, Galway
Judges Award: ‘Click the Watermelon,’ Martin O’Driscoll, Banogue N.S., Croom, Co. Limerick
Junior infants to 1st Class Category: ‘March JH’, Jack Hogan, Feakle National School, Clare.
2nd Class to 4th Class Category School: ‘Two Player Maze Game’, Adiel Mickus, Ennis Coder Dojo, Clare.
5th Class to 6th Class Category School: ‘Sensory Scratch’, Polly Butler, Club Mazikeen, Wicklow.
1st Year to 3rd Year Category: ‘The Adventures of Mr. Cube’, Nabeel Salahuddin, Confey College, Kildare.
4th Year to 6th Year Category: ‘Lieutenant Leek’, Ciara Clerkin, Largy College, Clonea, Co. Monaghan.
