The winning students were selected through an international competition coordinated by UNESCO, as part of which the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) invited applications from students at third-level institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The entries included essays, poems and paintings and were evaluated by an expert panel.

The students will now represent Ireland and Northern Ireland at the global launch event of IYPE at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in February 2008.

For the details of the competition, please see related pages.