Mayo school wins award at Microsoft Dream Space Showcase

MORE than 1,000 students gathered in Dublin this week for Microsoft’s annual national STEM and AI showcase, as the company announced its Dream Space programme has now reached over 550,000 students across the island of Ireland.

Students from Barnatra National School in north Mayo received the Future STEM Leaders Award for their sustainability project designed to create and store shared renewable energy locally.

The Dream Space Showcase brought together students from 45 schools and clubs across 11 counties to present innovative projects demonstrating how STEM, coding and AI can help solve real-world challenges. More than 170 student-led projects were showcased, with a strong focus on sustainability, inclusion and wellbeing.

The annual Showcase is just one of 14 initiatives that Microsoft Dream Space provides to maximise student engagement. The Dream Space Ambassador programme is one of these initiatives, which equips participating students with the knowledge and skills to become STEM leaders in their local community.

Students from Gaelscoil Uileog de Burca, Gortnor Abbey, Knock National School, and Youthreach Ballina were among 2,200 student ambassadors participating across 245 schools and Youthreach centres over the course of the 2025 academic year, bringing STEM learning opportunities to an additional 30,000 students nationwide.

As part of their involvement in Showcase, students complete a structured learning journey combining classroom activities, digital learning through Dream Space TV, and in-person engagement, culminating in the opportunity to present solutions aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

To learn more, visit the Microsoft Dream Space website.