Cork Schoolgirl Wins National SunSmart Art Competition

Ten-year-old Irene Mariam Mathew from Blackrock has taken top honours in a nationwide competition promoting skin cancer prevention, with her artwork set to feature in this year's official SunSmart campaign.

Irene was announced as the winner of the 2nd to 4th Class category in the fourth annual Get SunSmart! Art Competition, organised by the Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor in partnership with Healthy Ireland and the HSE's National Cancer Control Programme.

The young artist from Co. Cork impressed judges with her illustration demonstrating how to be SunSmart, competing against entries from across the country. Children participating in the competition were tasked with either colouring in the SunSmart 5Ss picture or creating their own artwork showing protective sun behaviours.

Minister Murnane O'Connor said:

"Children's skin is particularly vulnerable to sun damage, and instilling healthy habits in our children at a young age is vital for their health later in life. I want to congratulate our winners, and all the runners up, for their fantastic entries, which displayed such talent, creativity, and originality."

The competition forms part of Ireland's efforts to tackle skin cancer, which remains the most common cancer in the country with over 11,000 new cases annually. Research shows that severe sunburn during childhood significantly increases the risk of developing melanoma later in life.

Minister Murnane O'Connor emphasised:

"Skin cancer is almost entirely preventable, yet it is the most common cancer in Ireland. We know that severe sunburn during childhood (three or more instances before the age of 20) is associated with a two to four times higher risk of developing melanoma skin cancer in later life."

Irene will receive an OPW Family Heritage Card, a family day pass for Dublin Zoo, a €20 national book token, and a Healthy Ireland SunSmart goodie bag. Most notably, her winning artwork will be featured as part of the official 2025 SunSmart campaign, helping to spread the important sun safety message to families across Ireland.

The SunSmart campaign promotes the "5Ss" code for protection from April to September: Slip on protective clothing, Slop on broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30+ for adults, 50+ for children), Slap on a wide-brimmed hat, Seek shade, and Slide on sunglasses.

Other category winners included Alex Faconer (4) from Kilkenny in the pre-schools category, Mohammad Salaar (6) from Dublin 4 for Junior Infants to 1st Class, and Alexandru Grati (11) from Dublin 15 for 5th and 6th Class.

The competition is part of the National Skin Cancer Prevention Plan 2023-2026, with more information available at www.hse.ie/sunsmart.