2026 kicked off in flying colours for two Limerick schools named county winners of an annual art competition aimed at raising awareness around visible and invisible disabilities.
Catherine McAuley Special School and Oola National School were named Limerick winners in the annual Someone Like Me art competition.
The creative students will represent the county at the national award ceremony on January 28 at Dublin City Hall, where the overall winner will be announced.
The students will be facing off against 50 other schools from across the country in the junior and senior categories.
The Catherine McAuley Special School was named junior county champion for Limerick, with teacher Clara Ryan’s class submitting their winning entry, ‘Every Eye Tells a Story’.
Marie Carrie’s fifth and sixth class group at Oola National School took the county prize for their ‘Pieces of Us’ model, which aimed to raise awareness around different disabilities.
An initiative of the National Disability Authority, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Someone Like Me competition, which has seen thousands of primary and special school pupils across Ireland take part and develop an understanding of visible and non-visible disabilities through the medium of art.
Congratulating the two Limerick schools on their local win, National Disability Authority director Dr Aideen Hartney said that the number of entries this year was “a tribute to the ongoing commitment of Ireland’s primary and special school teachers, who continue to play an important part helping to create an ever-more inclusive Ireland”.
“Over the last 10 years, the Someone Like Me Art Competition has created a national conversation about visible and non-visible disabilities, helping to raise awareness and, ultimately, effect positive attitudinal change within society.
The competition, which offers a range of prizes to the value of over €1,000, was open to all primary and special school pupils. Entries ranged from posters and collages to large sculptural installations and videos.