Three sisters from Tralee, Co Kerry are the winners of this year's BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE).
Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy won for their project called 'Aid Care Treat', a medical assistance app designed to support emergency healthcare response.
17-year-old Ciara is in fifth year, Saoirse is 15 and in third year and 12-year-old Laoise is a first year student at Presentation Secondary School in Tralee.
They were presented with their prize at a ceremony in Dublin's RDS this evening by Minister for Education Norma Foley and BT Ireland Managing Director Shay Walsh.
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During the project the trio worked with the Department of Health, the HSE and the National Ambulance Service, and with the gardaí, to maximise the potential of the app.
Speaking at the awards ceremony this evening, Minister for Education Norma Foley said their win was an "extraordinary achievement".
She added: "This win is testament to their creativity, dedication and hard work and the tremendous support of their family, teachers and school."
Prior to her election to the Dáil in 2020, Ms Foley worked as a teacher at the Tralee school.
18-year-old Tomás Markey, a sixth year student in St Brogan's College in Bandon, Co Cork, won the prize for best individual with his project PM-DAC - a system for removing CO2 from the atmosphere.
PM-DAC is a Passive & Modular Direct Air Capture framework that reduces the cost of carbon dioxide sequestration in the fight against climate change.
Speaking about Tomás' entry, Leonard Hobbs, Chair of Technology Individual Judges, said: "The judges were very impressed with the level of innovation demonstrated by the best overall individual winner, Tomás Markey who addressed one of the greatest challenges currently facing the world in the excess of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."
Congratulations to Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy from Presentation Secondary School in Tralee on their wonderful achievement in winning this year's @BTYSTE with their project 'Aid Care Treat'
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) January 10, 2025
This year's event opened on Wednesday with 546 projects from 223 schools going on display showcasing innovation across science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Organisers had feared that some schools may have been unable to attend due to the bad weather.
Two Cork schools, which had entered three projects, could not make it to the RDS because of the snow and ice.
This year, for the first time ever, the overall winners, along with one senior project from each of the four remaining categories, will be awarded a trip to the World Expo, in Osaka, Japan.
The winners will also represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Riga, Latvia in September.
The BTYSTE will be open to the public until tomorrow with tickets available for purchase online.
A primary science also took place alongside the main exhibition, giving 53 primary schools the opportunity to showcase STEM projects.
