Enter TECS 2025 to win up to €3k in prizes

TECS is Ireland's premier nationwide talent search that runs over the month of November. It is a progress-focused competition for secondary school students across Ireland. Participants work on a project throughout the month, submit short weekly updates, and receive mentor feedback. Prizes of up to €2,000 are awarded to students who make the most progress and schools can win up to €1,000.

TECS runs throughout November (example dates previously: 4th–29th November). Students submit weekly progress updates during November; judges review submissions in December, and an awards ceremony takes place in January.

TECS is open to Transition Year, 5th Year and 6th Year students in the Republic of Ireland, and Years 11–14 in Northern Ireland. We welcome technical, scientific and creative projects — past entrants have built apps, organised events, run experiments and written novels.

Yes — students enrolled in Years 11–14 in Northern Ireland may apply. Prize values are equivalent in local currency (e.g. the top student prize equates to approximately £1,700 at past exchange rates).

The signup form asks for basic information about you, your school, and the project you plan to work on in November. Sign-up windows are announced ahead of time — previously sign-up opened in early October and ran until late October. Once signed up, you'll only need to submit a brief weekly update for each of the four weeks in November.

You can apply with a project that has multiple contributors, but each TECS participant must submit their own application. If you're working with others, mention collaborators in your entry.

Absolutely — you can start something from scratch. TECS rewards progress over time, not pre-existing polish. If you're stuck for ideas, look at Coolest Projects, IndieHackers or your own daily frustrations for inspiration.

Yes. Participants who make consistent progress over the month are eligible for prizes — you don't need prior experience to do well.

No — TECS includes technical and non-technical projects alike. Past entries include apps, community projects, research, art and writing. The key is progress and learning.

Yes — TECS is a great way to accelerate an existing school project. Mentorship and the prize incentive can help you push the project further than you would alone.

Yes — projects done outside school (personal projects, clubs, or extracurricular work) are welcome as long as the applicant is eligible by year. TECS is about your progress, wherever that project lives.

Time commitment varies by project. Some projects need only 2–3 hours per week; others require more. Aside from working on the project, the weekly update should take about 5–10 minutes to complete.

The weekly update tracks your progress week-to-week. Each week during November you'll receive a form with a few short questions asking what you achieved and what you plan next. TECS scores progress across these updates.

Participants receive feedback from mentors after the early rounds of updates. You'll also see examples from other students and receive resources and guidance throughout November.

No — TECS is about progress on an idea. Projects can be physical, event-based, business-focused, or creative. You will only need a computer or smartphone to submit the weekly updates.

Prizes include a top student prize (previously €2,000) and a top school prize (previously €1,000), plus additional awards for notable progress and special categories. Active participants and their teachers are typically invited to the awards ceremony.

Yes — TECS projects are a great way to demonstrate commitment and progress in an application to ISE. You can include your TECS work as part of your entrance materials where appropriate.

No — participation does not guarantee admission to either programme. Both ISE and Patch have separate application processes. However, consistent progress and demonstrable projects can strengthen your applications for programmes like ISE and Patch.

The awards ceremony is typically held at the University of Limerick in January (exact date announced to participants after judging).

We'd love to hear from you. You can email us at info@jointecs.org.

Yes — multiple entries from the same school are allowed and encouraged. If a class is working on technical, scientific or creative coursework during November, registering the class can help students benefit from mentorship and shared momentum.

Students can participate on team projects, but each participant must submit their own application. When applying, please list any collaborators so judges understand who contributed what.