Citywise students capture the First Lego League title

THE  halls of Dublin City University buzzed with ingenuity as Citywise Education, Jobstown, triumphed at the FIRST LEGO League Dublin Regional.

Showcasing an extraordinary blend of technical prowess and creative problem-solving, the team captured the prestigious Regional Champions title.

This victory secures their highly-anticipated spot at the FIRST LEGO League Ireland Final this March, where they will represent the capital’s brightest young minds on the national stage.

The winner’s podium also celebrated a new generation of leaders who excelled across a range of rigorous STEM challenges.

Scoil Treasa in Firhouse dominated the leaderboard with a double win; team W.H.A.T. demonstrated the true spirit of collaboration to earn the Core Values Award, and The Miners delivered a high-octane performance to be named the Robot Game Winners.

This fantastic Regional was sponsored and supported by DCU Access and the STInt programme (STEM Teacher in training programme).

FIRST LEGO League Ireland Sponsored by Amazon, is one of Ireland’s most successful and long-running STEM education programmes.

Now celebrating its 10th year in Ireland, more than 35,000 young people have taken part since the programme first launched here.

Its hands-on learning approach not only builds technical skills but also helps young people use technology meaningfully, encouraging independent thinking, clearer communication, and creative problem-solving rooted in real-world challenges.

Teams, supported by an adult coach, design and build LEGO® robots while tackling themed missions.

Using coding, engineering skills, and plenty of teamwork, they explore ideas that could shape the future.

This year’s theme, UNEARTHED℠, invites teams to dig into the past – uncovering hidden treasures, mysterious artefacts, and forgotten stories.

Amazon is the national sponsor of the competition. Joanne Reynolds, Community Engagement Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Ireland, says the program fosters innovation, creativity, and problem-solving from a young age:

“We’re proud to collaborate with FIRST® LEGO® League to inspire curiosity, teamwork, and a passion for learning that will shape the future of technology and beyond.

At Amazon, we believe in fostering innovation, creativity, and problem-solving from a young age.

Supporting FIRST® LEGO® League aligns with our commitment to empower the next generation of leaders and innovators.

By investing in STEM education and providing opportunities for hands-on learning, we’re helping students develop the skills they need to succeed in an ever-evolving world.”

The programme is supported for the fifth year by the Research Ireland Discover Programme.

Dr Ruth Freeman, Director of Research for Society at Research Ireland, says the initiative aligns strongly with their mission to widen participation in STEM.

“Teaching teamwork, design and programming skills, based around childhood LEGO building bricks is inspired.

‘Science and technical skills can be fun and engaging, and the secret for educators is to find the fun and games, and the story-telling and puzzles, to awaken young people’s minds to the enjoyment and fascination of science”.

Curiosity and team spirit are the keys to success, says Ross Maguire, Chief Impact Officer at Creative Hut, which coordinates FIRST® LEGO® League in Ireland.

“Teachers and all of us involved find it a joy to see how this initiative helps make STEM simpler and more inclusive.

‘From brainstorming solutions to building models, the young people seamlessly experience STEM in action, and have real fun in the process.”

The top team from this year’s FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge will represent Ireland at the European FLL Championships in summer 2026.