Waterford students to represent county on national stage

Students in two Waterford secondary schools will represent the county at national level in this year's national Student Enterprise Awards.

Teenage Dirtbag, a business established by students from Abbey Community College, will represent the county in the senior category while students from Mercy Convent Secondary School, with their project, Sweeteners, will contest the junior category.

The county final took place on Wednesday, March 11, at the SETU Arena where Deputy Mayor of Waterford City & County, Cllr. John Pratt presented the awards to the winners. 

Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Office 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 Local Enterprise Offices.

Teenage Dirtbag, winner of the senior award, was created by Lilly Magee. She produced and sold a natural, environmentally friendly gear bag deodoriser. 

Speaking about her business Lilly said she 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.” 

Last year’s junior winners, the first in Waterford in nearly 10 years, came from the Mercy Convent Secondary School, and this year some of the school's First Year students repeated the feat with the business, Sweeteners.

The business was founded and run by Sara Malaj and sold deserts such as brownies and cookies, inside the school and to businesses in Waterford.

The Waterford Student Enterprise Programme started in September with over 1,000 students from 14 schools throughout the county. They created their businesses, developed, branded, promoted and sold and in the process learned about running their own business.

This year, 80 students representing 10 schools, from across the county, competed in the Waterford Student Enterprise Final at SETU Arena. 

Thirty-five businesses in total, shortlisted from a total of 350 who began the competition in September, presented their business plans and challenged for the top prize in the county section.

Teenage Dirtbag and Sweeteners will represent Waterford at the National Finals on May 7th, taking on other county winners from throughout Ireland.

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 the Local Enterprise Office 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 encourages and enables students to take on the world of business and develop an entrepreneurial mind-set," he said.

"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 contact the Local Enterprise Office at 35 the Mall, Waterford City, or Civic Offices in Dungarvan. Alternatively, email info@leo.waterfordcouncil.ie