The Water Museum of Ireland is delighted to represent the Global Network of Water Museums again for its annual international competition for school children and young adults, The Water We Want: #thewaterwewant 2025
THE WATER WE WANT aims to engage young people as narrators of our cultural and natural water heritage and as storytellers of our water futures
Visit the exhibition of last year’s global finalists: The Water We Want Global Exhibition 2024
The competition theme is FRESHWATERS: biodiversity, climate change, and water legacies (both natural and cultural, tangible and intangible heritages).
Entries from primary and secondary school children in Ireland are invited. These may be individual or collaborative. Types of art work accepted:
Drawings/Paintings (individual or group/class compositions) (3 age groups)
Videos and other media (individual or group/class compositions): e.g. short videos, photos, animations, soundscapes, songs … (3 age groups)

A piece of work can be submitted by a single class, group or individual student.
Please note: all non-English audio & text must be accompanied by an English translation
Key Dates:
30th April 2025: Register your school/institution any time before this date to receive a link to the submission portal. Please email competition@watermuseumofireland.ie
3rd May 2025: Deadline for submissions to Water Museum of Ireland (to be sent by school/institution) – no late submissions can be accepted
May 2025: A selection of up to 6 works will sent by the Water Museum of Ireland to the Global Network of Water Museums Secretariat for the international final.
June 2025: Announcement of the six global winners (one per category and age group). Global winner schools/institutions will each receive €250.
All global finalists will will receive a certificate and will be included in the digital on-line exhibition of the Global Network “The Water We Want” and UNESCO-IHP, to be launched in June 2025. Finalists may also be selected for the AQUAPLAY interactive colouring tool.
To register your school/institution in Ireland please email competition@watermuseumofireland.ie
Entries from Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland welcome.
Congratulations to Olivia Requejo (Coláiste Pobail Naomh Mhuire, Buttevant, Co. Cork) and to Bella Zhao (Bray School Project, Bray, Co. Wicklow) whose beautiful art works represent Ireland in the Global Digital Exhibition 2024: The Water We Want Global Exhibition 2024
Congratulations to Kimberly Crabbe from Bremore Educate Together Secondary School whose fantastic video below on #thewaterwewant represented Ireland in the digital exhibition of Global Network of Water Museums 2020.
Theme for 2020 was: Water & Climate Change with reference to local water heritage (natural or cultural) and to the Sustainable Development Goals.
