Awards & Recognition
Our students and graduates regularly gain recognition through design awards, competitions and industry challenges, reflecting the quality, creativity and ambition of Product Design at SETU Carlow. From concept development and problem solving to prototyping and final presentation, these achievements recognise work that responds thoughtfully to real needs and demonstrates the value of design in addressing contemporary challenges.
Awards and competition success also give students the opportunity to benchmark their work beyond the studio, gain external feedback, build professional confidence and bring their ideas to a wider audience. This page celebrates some of the students, graduates and projects that have represented SETU Product Design through design competitions and awards over the years.
UX Design Awards 2026
Carla Anne Lloren
The Good Neighbour is a nominated UX Design Awards Spring 2026 project by SETU MA Interaction Design graduate Carla Anne Lloren. The project explores a human-centred community platform that addresses loneliness among older people by creating flexible “pockets of purpose” for local contribution, connection and belonging.
SETU Designer Of The Year
Jacob Foszczej
2026 Winner Sponsored By CarveOn Leather
SETU Innovation & Enterprise Award
Conor Doyle
2026 Winner Sponsored By Enterprise Ireland
Smarter Travel Awards 2026 - Finalist
Caoimhe Smyth, Brian Richardson & Bill McGrath
AWAIRE is a handlebar-mounted safety system that gives silent e-scooters a powerful "voice" to be noticed. It addresses the dangerous invisibility of scooters using 360° sensors that detect other road users up to 12 meters away. Based on proximity, it automatically emits four distinct directional sound variations to alert drivers. This combines with LED visibility to create a life-saving "language of presence" on the road.
Smarter Travel Awards 2026 - Finalist
Laura Fischer, Elliot Darcy & Tetiana Hanashylina
RouteSafe eases anxiety for Irish students and commuters waiting for public transport at night. This discreet, pocket-sized device offers an instant, one-press emergency alert that connects to your smartphone app. One intuitive press sends a distress signal and your real-time location to trusted contacts. It also features an integrated safety light for visibility and deterrence, all in an ergonomic, USB-C rechargeable design. Safety made simple.
Smarter Travel Awards 2026 - Finalist
Thiago Beckmann, Moya Belton, Teslim Saeed & Gillian Phelan
Too-Carry is a modular, waterproof rolltop backpack designed for the modern student commuter. Addressing key barriers like heavy loads and poor weather, it enables students to transport essential college materials safely. Featuring integrated high-vis strips, weather-resistant materials, and a modular interior with a laptop pocket, the Too-Carry easily attaches to a bike's rear rack. It's the ultimate solution for a sustainable commute.
Smarter Travel Awards 2025 - Winner
Naurah Hasrizal, Faye Grogan & Jakub Gertner
SeatMate is a portable study solution designed to help commuting students make productive use of travel time. Developed for public transport, it clips securely onto a seat to create a stable personal workspace with an integrated phone holder and privacy screen. The compact design also doubles as a carry case, making it practical, adaptable and easy to transport between journeys.
Smarter Travel Awards 2025 - Finalist
Sienna Keogh, Josh Mann & Shannon Loughor-Clarke
Transit Table is a lightweight, foldable workspace designed to help students use commuting time more effectively. Created for bus travel, it provides additional height and stability for comfortable studying or laptop work while seated. Compact enough to store easily in a bag, the design responds to student feedback that productive travel could make public transport a more attractive commuting option.
Smarter Travel Awards 2025 - Finalist
Darragh Flynn, Deborah Doran & Krystian Gabik
WeatherWise is a compact shelter designed to protect students and their belongings from changing weather while waiting for public transport. Designed for college campuses, it uses wall space rather than footpaths to minimise obstruction and incorporates fold-down benches, timetable information and USB charging ports. By improving comfort and protection, WeatherWise aims to make bus travel a more attractive commuting option.
Smarter Travel Awards 2024 - Winner
Gemma Lanigan & Emmet Townsend
Product Design Innovation students Gemma Lanigan and Emmet Townsend won the Engineering & Innovation award and the Product Design sub-category for Boundary Beam. It is a cyclist safety product that visually indicates the recommended 1.5 metre passing distance to motorists.
Smarter Travel Awards 2024 - Finalist
Sean Healy & Ming Ho Choy
The Travel Hoodie is designed to make long student commutes more comfortable by integrating an inflatable neck cushion into an everyday hoodie. Concealed within a pleated neckline, the cushion inflates in three breaths and supports comfortable seated rest without changing the garment’s appearance. Machine-washable and lightweight, the design aims to reduce commuter fatigue while encouraging greater use of public transport.
Smarter Travel Awards 2024 - Finalist
Roisin McGrath & Illia Denysenko
PedalPack is an innovative, waterproof bag designed to solve the student cyclist's need for comfortable storage. It features a modern aesthetic and separate compartments for organization. Uniquely, the two-part bag detaches and secures low on any bike frame using snap fasteners, removing all weight from the rider's back. After cycling, it reassembles easily into a portable everyday bag.
Smarter Travel Awards 2024 - Finalist
Patricie Koci & Kristyna Drdova
RideFix is an outdoor bicycle repair station designed to support students and staff who commute to university by bike. It provides essential repair tools, tyre inflation, bicycle oil and simple step-by-step tutorials, making basic maintenance accessible even to beginners. By providing a shared campus resource, RideFix encourages cycling, reduces maintenance barriers and helps build a stronger cycling community on campus.
Smarter Travel Awards 2024 - Finalist
Ciaran Kinsella & Ryan Freeman
Link-Up was developed by SETU Carlow Product Design students Ryan Freeman and Ciaran Kinsella as a campus carpooling system combining a physical hub with a supporting app. Designed to connect students travelling similar routes, it aims to reduce parking pressure, commuting costs and campus traffic while rewarding sustainable travel. The project was a 2024 TFI Smarter Travel Student Awards finalist.
Smarter Travel Awards 2024 - Finalist
Giacomo Grech
UniRide is a sustainable carpooling system designed to reduce parking pressure and improve commuting at SETU Carlow. Students log in using their SETU account, find others offering carpooling and select vehicles based on proximity or accessibility needs. The concept also encourages electric vehicle use through discounts, while testing, user feedback, rewards and incentives support adoption and continued improvement across campus.
IDI Graduate Design Award 2023 - Winner
Lisa Moran
2023 Winner Universal Design - Artafact is an award-winning universal design concept by Lisa Moran, winner of the IDI Graduate Design Award 2023 in the Universal Design category. The project supports accessible creativity through tactile drawing tools, guided templates and inclusive design features.
IDI Graduate Design Award 2023 - Shortlisted
Wayne Keating
Thermovue was developed by SETU Carlow Product Design student Wayne Keating as a diagnostic concept for assessing knee injuries. The device uses thermal imaging to help identify areas of inflammation around the patella, supporting faster and more informed assessment. The project was shortlisted in the Medical Device category at the 2023 IDI Graduate Awards, recognising its innovation and user-focused design.
Smarter Travel Awards 2023 - Finalist
Arlen Walsh, Eoghan Fallon & Conor O'Shea
ACE E-Bike Lock is a campus-based charging and locking system designed to make electric bike commuting safer and more practical for students. Riders use a smartphone app and QR code to select, unlock and pay for a bay. Retractable locks secure the bike, while integrated solar panels provide renewable power for charging, creating a convenient shared facility for e-bike users.
Smarter Travel Awards 2023 - Finalist
Jamie Purcell & Tapiwanashe Chimimba
Sentinel is a discreet personal safety device designed to help students feel more secure when travelling by public transport, particularly during off-peak hours. Worn around the neck, the device provides three tactile distress levels that can be activated quickly and discreetly. In an emergency, Sentinel can alert a nominated contact and share the user’s location, supporting safer and more confident travel.
Smarter Travel Awards 2021 - Winner
Wayne Keating & Lisa Moran
2021 Winners Engineering & Innovation Design - Travel Pal is a student travel app that supports safer, greener and more social commuting. It helps verified students plan shared journeys, connect with travel buddies, track sustainable travel habits and earn rewards for walking, cycling, public transport and carpooling.
Smarter Travel Awards 2020 - Winner
Georgia Markem, Fredo Eyong & Evan Lowery
2020 Winners Engineering & Innovation Design - Travel Aid is a student mobility concept combining an app and campus touchscreens to support sustainable commuting. It helps students plan routes, access transport information, carpool, buy tickets and receive travel reminders, making walking, cycling and public transport easier and more accessible.
James Dyson Recognition 2018
Dylan Fitzpatrick
Mylo was developed by SETU Product Design Innovation student Dylan Fitzpatrick as his final-year project. The concept received national recognition when it was selected among the top three Irish entries in the 2018 James Dyson Award. The project highlights the programme’s strong tradition of developing innovative, user-focused concepts capable of competing within leading national student design awards.
Universal Design Awards 2016 - Finalist
Alan Grincell
Self-Service Plus was developed by Alan Grincell during the MA Industrial Design – Applied Research programme at Design Carlow. The project explored how self-service banking could be made more accessible and supportive for older adults through a redesigned assisted ATM experience. It was selected as a national finalist in the 2016 Universal Design Grand Challenge, recognising its inclusive and user-centred approach.
IDI Graduate Design Award 2016 - Shortlisted
Daniel Maxwell
LIFELINE: Everyday Carry Water Rescue Device
IDI Graduate Design Award 2016 - Shortlisted
Robert Crowe
Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) is a highly toxic gas released during slurry agitation on farms. At dangerous concentrations it can become odourless, making detection difficult, while displacing oxygen near ground level and creating a fatal risk. SEER Protection safeguards farmers through fixed detection units at agitation points and an emergency response kit containing respirators, oxygen supply and breathing attachments for emergencies.
Universal Design Awards 2015 - Winner
Jack Gregan
The Therapeutic Riding Saddle is an award-winning universal design concept by Jack Gregan, recognised in the 2015 Universal Design Grand Challenge. The project explores a supportive saddle system designed to improve rider stability, safety and accessibility during therapeutic horse-riding activities - People's Choice Award, Judges' Choice Award and Enterprise Ireland Universal Design Commercialisation Award
James Dyson Award 2015 - Finalist
Lynne Whelan
Rosta, a child proximity alarm aimed at preventing farm accidents and fatalities.
IDI Graduate Design Award 2015 - Shortlisted
Kevin Doyle
Product / Industrial Design & Universal Design
IDI Graduate Design Award 2015 - Shortlisted
Lynne Whelan
Product / Industrial Design & Universal Design
IDI Graduate Design Award 2015 - Shortlisted
Deimante Stankeviciute
Universal Design & Hi-Macs Graduate Concept Design Competition
IDI Graduate Design Award 2015 - Shortlisted
Sean Finnegan
Product / Industrial Design
Moving Education Winners 2014
Lee Gaynor, Daniel J. Gillen & Hauche Lerche
Optimo was developed by Carlow Product Design students Lee Gaynor, Daniel J. Gillen and Hauche Lerche as a flexible furniture system for future classrooms. Designed to support different teaching, learning and collaboration needs, the modular concept combined seating, storage and adaptable configurations. The project was selected as the overall winner of the 2014 Moving Education design competition.
James Dyson Award 2013 - Finalist
Daniel J. Gillen
Snow Angel
James Dyson Award 2013 - Finalist
Shane Rooney
Nighthawk
James Dyson Award 2009
Noel Joyce
Ergo-Stop was developed by Product Design Innovation student Noel Joyce at Design Carlow to improve wheelchair braking. Drawing on his own experience as a wheelchair user, Joyce created a hydraulic braking system designed to offer greater control and usability. The project won the 2009 Irish James Dyson Award, recognising an inclusive design solution grounded in lived experience and practical problem-solving.
Unilever National Graphic Award 2006
Tara Fox
2006 Winner Vaseline Limp Balm - Vaseline Limp Balm is an award-winning graphic design concept by Tara Fox, developed for the Unilever National Graphic Award. The project reimagines Vaseline packaging with a playful, fashion-led visual identity, positioning the product as contemporary, desirable and youth-focused.
James Dyson Award 2004
Patrick Maloney
2004 Winner Anti-Atrophy Casting System - Rehabilitation Cast is an award-winning medical product concept by Patrick Maloney, winner of the James Dyson Award Ireland 2004. The design explores an advanced orthopaedic support system with adjustable controls, feedback indicators and a refined wearable form.