Donegal County Council

The Awards celebrate outstanding young people between the ages of 13 and 21 years. An Garda Síochána in Donegal and the Joint Policing Committee recognise that a lot of good work is being done by young people in every community in Donegal. Awards will be considered for nominated young people who by their presence make their communities a better place to live in.

The nomination process is now open, and An Garda Síochána in Donegal is now inviting the public to nominate a young person they know who is committed to making a difference to their community during 2023. All nominees will receive recognition at an event to be held in the future.

Gardaí will be distributing and making nomination forms to schools, youth groups and voluntary organisations right across County Donegal from today.

The deadline for nominations is 12pm on Thursday March 7 , 2024.

An awards event will take place later this year on a date to be decided. Winners and nominees will be notified of these details by the organising committee following the adjudication process.

Adjudicator Inspector Paul Mc Gee said, “I am looking forward very much to seeing the high quality nominations that we have become accustomed to receiving from the young people in Donegal – who have represented the County with distinction at National level over the last number of years. In 2023, Donegal had two overall national winners in the Individual and Special Achievement Award categories. These two awards were received by Adam Lough of Ardara and Mulroy College in Milford. I would urge people in positions of responsibility with young people to take this opportunity to nominate suitable youths, for consideration and recognition in their respective field”.

Adjudicator Cllr Gerry McMonagle, Chairperson, Donegal Joint Policing Committee said, "Donegal Joint Policing Committee are delighted to support the Garda Youth Awards again in 2024. Our involvement in the awards commenced in 2019 and since then we have had the privilege to meet with and celebrate many outstanding young people from this county. We have all witnessed at first hand in recent years how our young people have stepped up and played active roles in their communities, firstly through Covid and our exit from living restrictions, welcoming displaced people affected by conflicts and, closer to home, addressing the impact that the rising cost of living has had on the most vulnerable in our communities. I would urge everyone to take the opportunity to nominate a young person in their area for an award to acknowledge the acts of bravery, community work or volunteerism carried out by them in the past year.”

There are four separate awards categories for young people:

1. Individual Award – Making a positive contribution to their Community, making it a better place to live.

2. Group Award – two or more young people making a positive contribution to their community, making it a better place to live.

3. Special Achievement Award – Overcome difficult circumstances, defied all the odds, and whose commitment deserves recognition.

4. Community Safety Award - Through a crime prevention or safety initiative/innovation, have made their Community a safer place to live.

This year’s adjudicators are: Judge Éiteáin Cunningham (chair), Inspector Paul Mc Gee and Cllr Gerry McMonagle.

Nomination forms can be emailed [email protected] or be posted to Letterkenny Garda Station, Newline Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, F92 PC03 and marked for the attention of Garda Gráinne Doherty.

Nominations must be received by 12pm on Thursday 7 March 2024 to be considered.

You can download a copy of the forms via the links below:

Garda Youth Awards 2024 Nomination Form English

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Garda Youth Awards 2024 Media Consent Form English

Garda Youth Awards 2024 Media Consent Form Gaelige

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