This week creativity and environmental awareness came together at the Carlow Rubbish Film Festival Awards at the George Bernard Shaw Theatre.

The Rubbish Film Festival challenges Transition Year students to think critically about waste, sustainability and climate action, and then express those ideas through one-minute films they’ve written, shot and edited themselves.

Over the past few years, Carlow schools have been making their mark in the festival: Presentation College were regional winners and national runners-up in 2024 with Out of Sight, Out of Mind, and Tyndall College took the regional winner title in 2025 with Be the Change.

This year’s Regional Awards went to:

Best Film Award
Knockbeg College – Whispers of the Forest

Best Film Runner-Up Award
Presentation De La Salle, Bagenalstown – True Cost

Best Poster Award
St. Leo’s College – Go Fish

Impact Award
St. Mary’s Academy, C.B.S Carlow – You Are What You Eat

This year’s ceremony was more than just a prize-giving — it was a celebration of storytelling, media skills and environmental curiosity. Judges included local media and sustainability leaders, and organisers reflected on how projects like this help students develop real-world skills while bringing youthful energy to conversations about ecological responsibility.

The Rubbish Film Festival itself has been recognised nationally as a powerful way to combine digital literacy with environmental education, empowering young people across Ireland to become passionate communicators for a greener future.

See all of this year’s one-minute film submissions for Co. Carlow here

This article was written referencing local radio station, KCLR’s piece published yesterday.
Read their full article here