Entries open for 2025 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards at the National Ploughing Championships

Image caption: Pictured at the launch of the 2025 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards were (l-r) James Maloney Enterprise Ireland; Anna May McHugh MD of the NPA; and Carol Gibbons Enterprise Ireland

Opportunity for Irish agritech entrepreneurs to exhibit at one of Europe’s largest outdoor events

Entries for this year’s Innovation Arena Awards competition open until 6^th June 

€10,000 prize for best start-up winner in 2025 Innovation Arena Awards competition

Entries are now open for the 2025 Enterprise Ireland Innovation Arena Awards competition which will return to this year’s National Ploughing Championships, offering Irish agritech innovators the opportunity to exhibit and compete at one of Europe’s largest outdoor events.

Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Arena Awards competition, which is hosted in partnership with the National Ploughing Association (NPA), is an annual exhibition platform at the National Ploughing Championships (NPC), showcasing innovative solutions from Irish agritech companies and innovators to thousands of visitors over the course of the three-day event.

Entries are now being accepted for this year’s Innovation Arena Awards, and applications are being invited from Irish-owned companies, research and academia, who are delivering cutting-edge solutions with the potential to drive positive change and innovation in the Irish agriculture sector, delivering efficiencies on farms and supporting more sustainable practices, which can help to futureproof the industry for generations to come.  

There are three categories in this year’s competition, and the ‘Start-Up Innovator of the Year’ award includes a €10,000 prize as well as mentoring and supports from specialist Enterprise Ireland advisors. The Enterprise Ireland ‘Innovation Arena Champion Award’ is for established companies with a focus on scaling and innovation, while the ‘Green Impact Award’ is for a company whose innovation is focused on sustaining the development of food and farming for future generations. 

Applicants who are successful in their submission and shortlisted will automatically be offered an exhibition space within the Innovation Arena on site at the NPC, which is being hosted in Screggan, Tullamore, Co Offaly from 16^th to 18^th September.  

Nine finalists will then be selected for this year’s Innovation Arena Awards competition which is held on the first day of the NPC, and these nine finalists will be invited to participate in a pitching competition in front of a panel of judges and live audience at the Innovation Arena.

Carol Gibbons, Head of Entrepreneurship, Regions and Local Enterprise at Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland is committed to supporting Irish businesses to start, compete, scale and connect, and this includes pioneering Irish agritech businesses that are having an impact around the world. Ireland has a world-famous reputation in agriculture, so it’s not surprising that Irish innovators are increasingly global leaders in their field.   Enterprise Ireland’s new strategy ‘Delivering for Ireland, Leading Globally’ outlines our commitment to creating opportunities across every region and county in Ireland, and agritech entrepreneurs are at the heart of that by delivering direct and indirect job creation, developing unique and innovative solutions for global challenges and strengthening communities and regions.”

There will be an opportunity for participants from the competition in recent years to apply for a spot in the popular ‘Agritech Hub’, which returns to the Innovation Arena at this year’s NPC. This Enterprise Ireland hosted exhibition space gives Irish agritech entrepreneurs the important opportunity to exhibit within the Innovation Arena to an audience which includes domestic and international visitors and buyers, as the NPC typically attracts more than 240,000 visitors each year.

Anna May McHugh, NPA Managing Director, said: “The NPA is delighted to partner with Enterprise Ireland again for this year’s competition, as the Innovation Arena is a hugely important part of the National Ploughing Championships, showcasing the best of Irish agritech to a huge domestic and international audience. These Irish innovators are so important to the future of this sector, with their forward thinking technologies helping to futureproof agriculture in a sustainable way, for generations to come.”

James Maloney, Innovation Arena Manager, Enterprise Ireland, said: “With increasing expectations in relation to sustainability and costs, it has never been more important for the agricultural sector to be agile, and the Innovation Arena fosters the development of innovations and advancements in technology which can help reduce costs, create efficiencies, focus on sustainable goals while improving outcomes in a safe manner. The Innovation Arena has become an institution in the agritech calendar each year, as it gives Irish agritech entrepreneurs the opportunity to meet face to face with potential customers and key stakeholders from across the industry as the NPC is a marquee international event.”

To enter this year’s Innovation Arena Awards, please visit here.

The closing date for entries is 5pm on Friday 6^th June 2025.

For more information:

Innovation Arena Awards – innovationarena@enterprise-ireland.com 

Media queries:

Emma Jane Hade, Senior Communications Manager, Enterprise Ireland 

press@enterprise-ireland.com