The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) in association with the Irish Economics  Association (IEA), University College Dublin, Maynooth University, NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, Munster Technological University, The Central Bank of Ireland, The Irish Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES), The Economics and Social Research Institute (ESRI), The Department of Communications Climate Action and the Environment, The Business Studies Teachers’ Association of Ireland (BSTAI) and Laois Education Centre are delighted to announce that the Young Economist(s) of the Year 2021 has been officially launched. 

IDEAS AND INSPIRATION FOR YEOTY 2021  

Projects may be in any area of economics. Please view previous winning entries at this link for examples and inspiration.

EVALUATION CRITERIA 

This year we will continue to promote an inquiry-based approach by students. While we encourage students to integrate the use of digital media into their presentations the emphasis is on the quality of the investigation and economic analysis. We also encourage creativity and will accept submissions in a variety of forms such as essay, report, short video/documentary, powerpoint, prezi etc. The points below are important to consider when planning and preparing your submissions. 

1. Relevance 

Research questions must be relevant to economics and if you are applying be considered for a special interest category such as IGEES or Central Bank of Ireland, the research question must have particular relevance to their respective remits – further details can be found by viewing the PDST YEOTY Teacher CPD webinar at https://www.youngeconomist.ie/

2. Sustainable Development Goals 

Projects must clearly link to at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals –  https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ 

3. Research Question & Motivation  

Both the research question and motivation for choosing this question should be clearly stated and easy to understand at the outset of the project. 

4. Data Gathering 

• Secondary data must be relevant to the economic topic chosen, current and referenced accurately – As part of the PDST YEOTY CPD webinar, Professor Rowena Pecchenino (Maynooth University) has created a useful resource entitled “Research: How to; Citations; Fact checking and Questions. Full details are also available on Scoilnet.ie
• Primary data must be current and relevant to the topic.  

5. Analysis of Data 

Students should clearly articulate the useful information discovered from the data that may be used to inform the conclusion and demonstrate support for any decision-making. 

6. Findings 

Should include a summary of the analysis that either answers the research question or compels deeper or 

further investigation.  

7. Conclusion 

• Restate the topic as well as explaining why it is important 
• Main points summarised 
• “So what” question answered – i.e. recommendations, where to next etc. 

8. Presentation 

The presentation should be clear, informative and engaging. Information should be accurate and referenced appropriately where relevant.  

Creativity In Economics

Please note: We will also have a separate “Creativity in Economics” category where we welcome submissions on explanations/illustrations/explorations of economic concepts that are articulated via animations, mind-map, visual presentation, poems, raps etc.  

ENQUIRIES 

Please email all enquiries to youngeconomist@pdst.ie 

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEIPT OF ENTRIES 

On or before Monday 22/03/2021 @ 6 p.m. 

SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES 

Details of how to submit entries is available at https://www.youngeconomist.ie/2021submissions

THE AWARD CELEBRATION 

The online award ceremony will provisionally take place on the week beginning 17th May, 2021.  

CERTIFICATION & PRIZES 

All students who submit an entry will receive a certificate of participation. Gold medal winners will be shortlisted for further awards in relevant categories.  

NUMBER OF ENTRIES 

• Students can submit individual or group entries – student/groups can submit one entry for consideration.
• Maximum number of entries per class is 3. (Due to the nature of the school year, this has been relaxed for 2021. Please exercise discretion regarding submissions due to limited capacity for filtering of entries).
• Schools must engage in their own internal filtering process and all students who participate at school level will receive a certificate of participation. 
• Students’ submissions will be evaluated by economist and educationalists from a range of universities and economic institutions. 

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS OLYMPIAD – https://ecolymp.org/ 

Medal winners in YEOTY 2021 and in all previous years are eligible to compete for selection for the Irish International Economics Olympiad team. Further details on this will follow in early November. For further inquiries please email vladimir@laoisedcentre.ie