Mission Possible school achievement awards

On a mission to better mental health

Our Mission Possible school achievement awards are dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging the work schools do to promote positive mental health, both in the classroom and in the wider community.

On a mission to better mental health

Through the initiative, we recognise schools from all over Ireland for their efforts and contribution in tackling the stigma surrounding mental health.

This year, as schools are closed to protect against coronavirus, teachers all across the country are playing an even more important role in helping students to keep a positive attitude and reduce anxiety by coming up with creative ideas for remote learning and activities to do at home – and this is something we think is worth shouting about!

Applications for Mission Possible 2020 are now open, with the deadline closing on Friday, 8 May. The competition is open to all schools.

For the first time, schools can submit their applications through our new School Portal – find out all you need below!

Want to get involved?

How the awards work
Your school can apply for the Mission Possible awards by logging into our School Portal and completing our online form.

Judges will review all applications and our team will be in touch to let you know if you are shortlisted and to share details of how awarding will take place.

This year, we’re introducing three new categories, showcasing:
- the Best Standalone Project,
- the Best Programme Activity
- and the Most Creative Idea
undertaken by schools to tackle stigma or share positive messages around mental health.

Each category will have a primary and secondary school winner, with these schools each receiving a trophy and prize money of €600.

Of course, every school taking part is a winner in our eyes! We’ll be celebrating every school who enters with a framed certificate at the awards ceremony.
How to apply

Applying for the Mission Possible awards is quick and easy!

Teachers can log into our School Portal, where you can upload resources - such as posters, photos or videos - and information about your projects, programmes or ideas. You can also share details of remote learning or online activities you are promoting while schools are closed to prevent against coronavirus: just add a picture or screengrab of these during the upload process.

We’ll then email you our online form, which you can quickly complete to finalise your entry.

Award categories

Want to know what we’re looking for? Find out more about each of our award categories below.

Best Standalone Project

This award celebrates a once-off project that displays the great work your school has done to promote positive mental health. Examples of these one-off projects include the introduction of a Buddy Bench in a school, where students can sit if they’re feeling worried or shy about talking to their classmates; the installation of a Wellness Wall to post positive mental health messages; or the establishment of a Student Wellbeing Committee.
Best Programme Activity

This award celebrates innovative mental health programmes and initiatives which reach out to young people, teachers and the community and provide meaningful, lasting support. These programmes would involve a calendar of mental health events or activities, such as Wellness Walks or mindfulness classes.
Most Creative Idea

This award brings the wow factor! We’re looking for the most original, inventive, or fun ideas used to open conversations, reduce stigma or share positive messages around mental health. From Wellbeing Clubs to positive poster campaigns, and from creating online webinars to running a social media campaign for students, there’s no shortage to the ways your imagination can take you for this! Ideas can include short-term projects, long-term programmes, the innovative ways you helped your students to maintain positive mental health during school closures, and the kinds of activities that create big impact even with very small budgets.

Frequently asked questions

Does my school need to pay to enter the competition?

No, Mission Possible is free to enter for all schools in Ireland.
Can my school enter more than once?

Yes, we can accept multiple applications from one school: just let us know through the online form which category you are entering a particular project, programme or idea from your school into.
My school won a Mission Possible award previously. Can we enter again?

Yes, your school can enter new projects and ideas to the competition every year.
Our project was originally created for another mental health campaign. Can we still use it in Mission Possible?

Yes, absolutely. We want to celebrate all the creativity and activity going on to promote positive mental health, and these projects are an important part of that.
Our project was cut short because of school closures. Can we still enter it?

Yes, we completely understand the impact of sudden school closures this year: please do enter any projects or programmes which were ongoing when the closures were announced.
Can I post my school’s entry?

Applying for the Mission Possible awards online is quick and easy!

Teachers can log into our School Portal, where you can upload resources - such as posters, photos or videos - and information about your projects, programmes or ideas. We’ll then email you our online form, which you can quickly complete to finalise your entry.

If you have any difficulty uploading your resources to the School Portal, please don't hesitate to contact our Project Manager, Amanda McArdle, at info@walkinmyshoes.ie or on 01 249 3632.
I have uploaded resources to the School Portal over the past few months. Can I submit these as part of my school’s entry?

Yes, resources uploaded to the School Portal can be submitted as part of your school’s application. Our online application form includes a section where you can name which resources you uploaded and wish to enter into the competition.
When will my school know if we have been shortlisted for an award?

Shortlisted schools will be informed in mid-May.
When will the awards be given out?

We’ll be taking a creative approach to our awards this year, to protect against the spread of coronavirus: instead of hosting our usual awards ceremony, watch out for a new online experience to celebrate our winning schools. We’ll be announcing details of this in the coming weeks.
When a school wins, who gets to keep the prize money?

The cheque is made payable to the winning school.