Young innovators take centre stage at Amazon Think Big Day at Croke Park

Students from primary schools across Dublin gathered at Croke Park for Amazon Think Big Day 2026, where they had the opportunity to participate in a hackathon experience and create a novel solution to solve a problem in their community.   

Amazon Think Big Day is one of Amazon’s flagship community engagement events, and a part of the Amazon Think Big Programme, which celebrates youth innovation, creativity, and education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). 

Students were challenged to reimagine their communities and develop practical, technology-driven solutions for the future, showcasing their ideas through posters, prototypes and live presentations. 

Throughout the day, students demonstrated impressive problem-solving skills, tackling real-world challenges with creativity and confidence. Their projects reflected a strong commitment to sustainability, inclusivity and community wellbeing, highlighting the potential of young people to shape a better future. 

The awards ceremony recognised the most outstanding projects of the day. Brian Huseman, Vice President of Public Policy Americas and Community Engagement at Amazon, presented the Champions Award to Pelletstown Educate for their project, titled ‘Travel Tricksters’. 

The Impact and Innovation Award was awarded to Castleknock Educate Together, presented by Niamh Gallagher, Country Lead for Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland, with the Problem Solvers Award going to Gaelscoil na Giúise, Firhouse, presented by the Kieran McGeeney, Manager of the Armagh Men’s Senior Football Team. 

A special Community Award, recognising a project that placed people at the heart of technology and community impact, was presented by Peter McKenna, Director of Commercial and Stadium Development at Croke Park, to St Benedict’s, Ongar. The Collaboration and Teamwork Award was presented to Francis Xavier National School, Blanchardstown by Paul Meaney, EMEA Infrastructure Director at AWS. 

Speaking at the event, Niamh Gallagher said: “Today has been a powerful reminder of what young people can achieve when they are given the opportunity to think creatively and solve real-world problems. The ideas we’ve seen here at Croke Park are not only imaginative but are grounded in genuine care for communities and the future of our society. At AWS, we are committed to hosting programmes like Think Big Day that inspire students to explore technology, build confidence, and realise their potential as the innovators of tomorrow.” 

Roisín Dunning, who is a teacher at St. Benedict’s National School, one of the schools taking part in the event, said: “The class are learning the skills of collaboration, teamwork, and leadership. There is great space for their individual creativity within their projects, and they have also been learning the important skill of time management. Finally, the programme has been fantastic at building their confidence as they work hard on developing their presentation skills.” 

Conor Daly, who teaches at Castleknock Educate Together National School, also commented: “This has been a great opportunity for my class. It has been lovely to see the children working collaboratively, thinking about the cities of the future and problem-solving together. The children loved the hands-on approach, constructing their prototypes and developing creative solutions to the problems they encountered.” 

Amazon Think Big Day is part of Amazon’s broader commitment to investing in local education ecosystems and supporting pathways into STEM for young people. By connecting students, educators and community leaders, and through ongoing STEM workshops for participating schools, including coding, robotics and sessions that encourage students to think big about ideas to improve their schools and communities, the initiative aims to foster long-term engagement in technology, sustainability and innovation while also building teamwork and sparking creativity.