Circular.ie, Ireland’s national platform for circular economy, has today announced the Waterford finalists shortlisted for the Full Circle Awards 2026, recognising individuals, organisations and community groups who are leading the way in circular living, reuse, repair and sustainability in their local communities.
Returning for a second year, the awards, which are funded by the Government of Ireland under the Circular Economy Fund, celebrate the individuals and initiatives helping communities across Ireland reduce waste, reuse resources and promote more sustainable ways of living through local activation.
The awards recognise impact across six categories including Repair and Reuse Champion, Community Circular Champion, Creative Circular Design, Circular Living Advocate, Best Community Campaign and Circular Sports Champion.
Among those recognised on this year’s shortlist are two finalists from Co. Waterford, whose work spans community campaigns, food waste prevention, toy reuse, grassroots sport and creative circular initiatives.
Waterford finalists
- The Free Store at Brill FRC, Ballybeg, Co. Waterford
Community Circular Champion – A volunteer-led free store that keeps good-quality goods in circulation while giving local families access to useful items without financial pressure. - Sean Corcoran / The Art Hand, Co. Waterford
Creative Circular Design – Sean’s community art practice transforms discarded materials into creative work, including Crockery Mountain, made from more than 10,000 donated pieces of broken crockery.
Speaking about this year’s shortlist, Eibhlin Fitzpatrick, Community Manager at Circular.ie, said, “We were incredibly impressed by the quality and diversity of nominations for this year’s Full Circle Awards. The shortlist showcases the creativity and practical action already taking place in communities across all the counties. It is fantastic to see the impact being made at a local level, and we are looking forward to celebrating all of our shortlisted finalists and their achievements at the Full Circle Awards in a few weeks.”
Last year’s inaugural awards attracted nominations from across the country, highlighting a range of projects and individuals championing circular living through repair cafes, reuse initiatives, sustainable fashion, education and creative upcycling among others. Each category winner will receive a €2,000 prize along with a one of a kind handcrafted trophy created from upcycled materials. Shortlisted finalists will also benefit from national media exposure, social media promotion and features across the Circular.ie platform.
The winners of the Full Circle Awards 2026 will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place in Carlow on 17th September 2026. Full details of the event can be found here.
