The Kerry Young Historian Award 2026
Call for participation The Kerry Young Historian Award is an annual initiative open to all Kerry secondary schools and all Kerry students aged 12 to 19. It is a joint project of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society, Kerry County Museum and Kerry County Council and kindly supported by Tralee Education Support Centre and The History Teachers’ Association of Ireland, Kerry branch.
The purpose of the award is to encourage participants to research and write about a local history topic in a personal, interesting, and critical way with a special focus on some of Kerry’s lesser-known stories. The award aims to encourage and produce the historians of the future as well as engaging young people in local history, archaeology, and heritage. The award has two categories: Junior (1- 3 year) and Senior (4-6 year).
Award Prize: Winning essays will be published in The Kerry Magazine, a prestigious annual publication by The Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society. Each participating school will receive a voucher from Kerry County Museum for a free visit or outreach visit to the school.
Prize winning schools in the Junior and Senior categories will be guaranteed a free living history workshop as part of the Architecture Kerry Festival in September/October 2026. Competition opens: Autumn 2025 Deadline for submissions of essays: Friday 24 April 2026 Award Ceremony: Autumn 2026 For further information or to express your interest please contact project managers Victoria McCarthy and Claudia Kohler at
