The gradireland Undergraduate of the Year Awards 2026 are open!

These awards celebrate the brightest talent in Ireland. Each award comes with a powerful partnership from a top graduate recruiter, bringing you opportunities that can be life-changing! These prizes can include paid internships, graduate programmes, one-on-one mentorships, and exclusive doors to success.

The Undergraduate of the Year Awards aim to identify and recognise Ireland’s most talented undergraduates across eight distinct categories, each sponsored by a leading graduate employer. Each award has its own short application process (typically 1–3 questions and online assessments). 

The 2026 Awards' categories

  • The Difference Maker Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The Female Leadership Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The Future Business Leader Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The First Generation Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The Future Entrepreneur Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The Legal Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The Real Impact Undergraduate of the Year Award
  • The Sustainable Excellence Undergraduate of the Year Award

The entry process

The process starts online with the collection of basic personal information, up to 3 on-line assessments from our partner SHL, a leading global provider of talent intelligence solutions, and up to three questions posed by the award partner (specific details can be found under the heading ‘How do I win?’ for each award). This phase can take around two hours but you don't need to complete everything in one visit; you can save and come back at any time before the closing date in February.

The SHL assessments are designed to provide insights into your preferred ways of working, and your potential to demonstrate the skills and abilities that are valued by employers for graduate roles. This information will be used alongside other information gathered by the partner from your application, to support decision making on who moves to the next stage of the process; typically an interview and a partner led assessment centre which often involves meeting other finalists. From there, the best ten students are then invited to the Awards Ceremony in April, where the winner is announced.

Winners and finalists receive a range of fantastic prizes, including graduate programme places, internships, mentoring, and cash awards. The application deadline for these awards is 2nd of February 2026. The finals will take place on 1st of April 2026 in the Aviva Stadium. 

To learn more and to apply, visit the gradireland website HERE.