Prestigious National PE Competition to take place on 30 April 2026
15% discount offered for early bird entries (before 1 December)
The Olympic Federation of Ireland’s Dare to Believe School Programme, supported by Allianz, for the third year running, has teamed up with the PEXpo for the twelfth annual Dare to Believe PEXpo, which takes place at the National Indoor Arena on the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin, on Thursday 30 April 2026.
The event will see second-level students from all over Ireland showcasing their projects on topics relating to sport, health and physical fitness. Schools that sign up before 1 December will get 15% off their entry fee. Closing dates for project submissions is 14 February, 2026.
REGISTER PROJECTS AT THIS LINK: www.pexpoireland.com
Speaking on behalf of PEXpo, Emer O’Neill (PE teacher, presenter, former international basketball player) will be addressing attendees of the PEAI conference this weekend in Limerick, speaking about the event, as well as the wider benefits of involvement in sport.
Last year’s event saw 2000 students nationwide gather at PEXpo for the competition, where they also heard from Olympic and Paralympic role models like Kellie Harrington, Orla Comerford and Philip Doyle, and had to opportunity to try over twenty sports.
For the exhibition, students are invited to submit projects under one of eight broad headings:
- Physical
- Psychological and Tactical Demands of Performance
- Power of Sport
- Well-being
- Technology and Media
- Nutrition and Diet
- My Favourite Olympian (first years only)
- Personal Physical Activity Programme (second year classroom-based assessment)
- Physical Activity Project (third year classroom-based assessment – new this year)
Special prizes got to the winners in a number of other categories, among them Best New School, Best Project in Irish, Women in Sport and Sport for Business.
Last years’ winners across the categories impressed the room, with Karl Cronin and Philip Brosnan from CBS, the Green, Tralee taking the top senior award for a project on ‘The Benefits of Sports on Neurodivergent People.’ Winning the overall junior award was Tate Tamkin Beddy of Blackrock College in Co. Doublin for a project on ‘How the Loft of a Golf Club affects a Golf Ball.’
Sponsored by the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s Olympic Schools Programme that is supported by Olympic Solidarity, Dare to Believe, as well as top sponsor of Team Ireland, Allianz, the PEXpo is also supported by Sport Ireland, Active Cities, Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing, South Dublin County Sports Parthership, Sport for Business, Leave No Trace, School Fitness Ireland and HerMoves.
To register projects, see www.pexpoireland.com. For further information follow PEXpo on social media or contact Paddy O’Reilly at 086 174 3836.
Watch the highlights from last year’s event HERE.
10 April 2025; Olympic athletes Kellie Harrington and Philip Doyle, along with Paralympian Orla Comerford, who are all Dare to Believe ambassadors, attended the Dare to Believe booth at PE Expo 2025, sponsored by Allianz, at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in Dublin. Pictured at the Dare to Believe PE Expo 2025 is Kayla O’Connor. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile *** NO REPRODUCTION FEE ***
Background Information
PExpo
PExpo, developed in association with the Physical Education Association of Ireland, was first held at Trinity Comprehensive School, Ballymun, in 2015.
Modelled on the Young Scientists exhibition, PExpo invites students to undertake projects on topics that showcase their knowledge of the science behind sport and related subjects, including diet, psychology and technology. These projects are then submitted for judging at the annual PExpo.
PExpo’s principal aim is to promote a better understanding of PE, sport, fitness and health among second-level school students. With obesity levels skyrocketing, ‘lifestyle’ illnesses putting severe pressure on hospitals, and youngsters spending far too much time scrolling through screens, the need to promote improved fitness in all our citizens is increasingly urgent.
PExpo moved to DCU in 2018 and last year, for the first time, and with the support of title sponsor Dare to Believe, took place at the National Indoor Arena, Abbotstown.
Supporters of Dare to Believe PExpo ’25 include Allianz, Sport Ireland, Active Cities, Sport for Business, and Trinity Comprehensive School.
Dare to Believe
Launched in 2019, the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s schools programme, Dare to Believe, aims to inspire the young people of Ireland to ‘Dare to Believe’ in themselves through an interactive curriculum that explores the Olympic Values and includes visites with Team Ireland Olympic and Paralympic role models that bring he values to life.
The programme includes Core Primary and Post-Primary programmes, Olympic School Challenges, Olympians Life! Webinars, and Olympic Movement Breaks, among other activations.
The programme now boasts 50 world-class Olympic and Paralympic ambassadors who visit schools nationwide to share their inspirational stories of resilience and teach students how to set goals and adopt healthy lifestyles through participation in sport.