Tullamore school claims award at Hydrogen Grand Prix Sprint World Final

Representing Ireland at the Hydrogen Grand Prix (H2GP) Sprint World final in Switzerland, Sacred Heart School, Tullamore, grabbed the best presentation award. The school team, with the support of Offaly County Council Climate Action Team, travelled to to Bulle, Switzerland earlier in July, to participate in the event.

The H2GP Sprint is an international STEM education program where students design, build, and race 1:20 scale cars powered by zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells. It challenges young innovators to iteratively improve their vehicles' aerodynamics, weight distribution, and gear ratios to maximise speed. The event is built around a specialised, lightweight track and focuses on speed.

The triumphant team comprised captain Katie Payne, Ramona Szkutnik, Ellen Cleary and Evelyn Daly, and were guided by teachers Kerry Ann O’Keefe and Kasia Koper. This is the team's second win in the global hydrogen education programme related competitions. Prior to participating in the H2GP Sprint World Final, the team won the Innovation Award at the Kinia H2GP PRO event earlier this year.

The H2GP Sprint world final is dubbed as the the pinnacle event in global hydrogen education programme. Here, each team was interviewed about their car and the Tullamore team impressed the judges with their presentation, the detailed log book and their overall understanding of the Sprint car. The World final event had huge interest globally with teams participating from India to Ireland and Chile to Czechia.

Speaking after the event, teacher Kerry Ann O’Keefe said: “It was a fantastic experience and a huge learning for all of us. It also proved a great opportunity for us to meet participants and share experiences with teams from other countries including Dubai and Bulgaria."

“The award was a highlight and totally unexpected. All teams were interviewed and the judges were very impressed with the girls log and their understanding of the Sprint car. It was a credit to the girls for the work and effort they put into it. It was a brilliant experience and a very special trip for the students.”

She also thanked the Offaly County Council Climate Action team for their support. “This opportunity represents much more than a competition. It gives students practical experience in engineering, renewable energy, teamwork, and problem-solving, while encouraging them to consider future careers in STEM and sustainable technologies. This will inspire the next generation of innovators in the STEM and climate action field,” she added.

Paul McLoughlin, Director of Services, Climate Action, Transport, Environmental Services, Rural Water, The National Waste Collection Permit Office and the Municipal District of Tullamore said: “We are incredibly proud of the students from Sacred Heart School, Tullamore, for representing their school, Offaly and the Midlands region at the H2GP World Sprint Finals so well in Switzerland. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to their dedication, teamwork and innovation.

“Their work with hydrogen technology is particularly significant as hydrogen will play a key role in our future energy systems, and it’s inspiring to see young women from our region already leading the way in such an important and emerging field. Their success reflects the growing focus on energy innovation here in Offaly, with initiatives like the Tullamore Decarbonisation Zone and the Rhode Green Energy Park positioning the county at the forefront of the transition to a low-carbon future.”