The winner of the Health and Safety Authority’s (HSA) Multimedia Farm Safety Competition for post-primary students was announced at an awards ceremony in Dublin Castle on 27th April 2016. The HSA multimedia project was carried out in partnership with Kids’ Own and Kilkenny Education Centre.

Shane Farrelly (14), a third year student from Bailieborough Community School, Co. Cavan, won the overall prize for his innovative online farm safety maze game, which is aimed at raising awareness of farm safety in a fun and engaging way. The game has six levels which increase in difficulty as the player progresses, with the addition of new hazards at each level.

The aim of the competition is to raise awareness among post-primary students of farm safety and to give a voice to young people in the national campaign to raise levels of safety on Irish farms. The project aims to harness the powerful influence that young people have to effect change in safety behaviour among their own farming families and in the wider farming community.

There were eleven shortlisted finalists whose entries included farm safety videos, animations, games, apps and social media campaigns.

The competition was open to all junior cycle and senior cycle post-primary school students. Further category awards were made in the following areas:

• Relevance to farm safety won by 5th year students from Colaiste Naomh Cormac, Kilcormac, Co. Offaly for their video Sure Chance It! 
• Artistic expression of a concept won by 1st year students from Jesus and Mary Secondary School, Gortnor Abbey, Crossmolina, Co. Mayo for their video Have the Right Crush
• Innovative use of technology won by Anna Doyle, Loreto College, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, for her farm safety app which included junior and senior editions for children and adults
• Best presentation to the Judges won by Daniel O’Gormon, St. Augustine’s School, Blackrock, Co. Dublin for his animation, Close the Farm Gate

Winners received specially commissioned trophies and the overall winner won a Go-Pro camera. Finalists’ multimedia entries will be used to raise awareness of farm safety.

For more information visit http://choosefarmsafety.ie/