National BICS awards booklet 2011

Best Society - Large College DIT DCU NUIG TCD UL Best Society - Small College CIT NCI DKIT ITTD I T T ralee NUIM Most Improved Society - Large College DIT DCU NUIG TCD Most Improved Society - Small College ITB CIT DKIT ITTD I T T ralee Best Event - Large College DIT DCU NUIG TCD UL Best Event - Small College CIT DKIT ITTD I T T ralee M ary I NUIM Best Individual - Large College DIT DCU NUI G TCD UL Best Individual - Small College CIT NCI DKIT ITTD I T T ralee NUIM

Best New Society - Large College DIT DCU NUIG TCD Best New Society - Small College CIT NCI D BS DKIT ITB ITTD I T T ralee NUIM Best Civic Contribution - Large College DIT NUIG TCD Best Civic Contribution - Small College ITB ITTD Best F resher - Small College NCI DKIT ITTD I T T ralee Best F resher - Large College DIT DCU NUIG TCD UL Best on-Line Presence D BS DIT DCU ITTD NCI NUIG TCD Best Poster CIT DIT DCU DKIT ITTD I T T T ralee NCI NUIG TCD

Best Poster C I T L G B Society

C I T L G B Society This poster was created to help promote our regular weekly social meetings. For an LGBT society, having a visual presence on campus is extremely important in attracting members that might need encouragement to attend a society meeting.

D I T- eD I T This poster is the eDIT festival timetable. It was used to showcase the vast amount of events that were involved in the festival. It shows the combined effort of multiple societies working for a common goal. There were many challenges involved in creating the poster including fitting so much information on one poster to the communication involved when trying to display so many societies and events in such a small place.

D C U Style Society The visual Impact of this poster was very strong and immediately caught the attention of everyone who looked at it. The poster features five of the models that we used in our fashion show. These models did a two-hour photo shoot in order to get the perfect image, one that represented the WKHPH RI RXU IDVKLRQ VKRZ ³&REEOH &RXWXUH´ 7KH SXUSRVH of the poster was to promote the event as much as possible.

The poster was used as the image for a large online campaign. It was the profile picture for over 250 students in DCU. Over 15 students were included in the making of this poster. We would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this poster.

D K I T - C hinese Society Poster represents their Chinese Temple Fair for the Chinese New Year. Their aim was to attract students & staff, Chinese and non-Chinese to experience the traditions of the Chinese New Year. Publicity of the event was generated through use of innovative ideas and sponsorship from the Chinese Shop in Dundalk also created a greater awareness of the event. The use of Bright colours and bold designs caught the eye of the student/staff aiding to the success of the event15 students were included in the making of this poster. We would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this poster.

ITT Tralee ± Wildlife Society This poster represents the beauty & wonder of native Irish animals. We feel this speaks volumes about what our society is about. The mission statement reflects the aims & ideals of our society, as well as providing an open invitation WR RWKHU SHRSOH WR MRLQ XV LQ RXU HQMR\PHQW RI ,UHODQG¶V Wildlife.

I T T D ± Debating Society ITTD submitted a poster on behalf of the Debating Society as they believe it is the strongest poster to represent the college. It was chosen on the basis of its clarity of information, impact and originality, content, style and artistic impression. The poster is an accurate representation of a cumulative effort to provide an inviting, light hearted visual portrayal of what the society stands for. The society provides a venue for open minded individuals to partake in discussions in a diverse range of topics. The aim of the poster design was to attract people to the society on these grounds.

NUIG Lit & Deb This year Lit and Deb Society raiesd its profile with eyecatching posters. The 'Zombie' poster was designed to publicise the society's hosting of popular zombie writer Max Brooks. It is intended to be both as eye-catching as possible while appealing to lovers of zombie fiction. This is achieved through the use of a striking industrial theme and the liberal use of layered blood splatters. The text was intended to be minimal to avoid clutter and maintains unity with the colour scheme. The portrait is a taken from "Slacker" by Grayson Castro, and is used with permission.

It is a zombified picture of Crispin Glover and was used because it resembles Max Brooks.

TCD Law Society Law Society Swing Ball Poster drawn and designed by PRO of TCD Law Society, Sinéad Mercier. Based on vintage 1920's dance cards and dress. Below is a piece that was prepared for an announcement email for the event!

Elegant darling dashing dapper, we want you hip hop hopping like a frivolous flapper!

So before you go take some advice We can't have you wallflowering, frightened as mice, Curled up hair and slicked down moustaches, Practice some Running man and funky dashes, Shine your shoes Dust off those moves Swing Ball baby needs some well-oiled hooves!

Best  on-­Line  Presence DBS  Business Society 5DGLR '%6 LV RQH RI 'XEOLQ %XVLQHVV 6FKRROÂśV QHZHVW societies. They create weekly award-winning podcasts, host outside broadcasts and organize events. Established in early 2010, Radio DBS has been flying the college radio flag for some time now. Back then they set out to create a new kind of radio station wKLFK ZRXOG EH DW WKH KHDUW RI FROOHJH OLIH 7KH\ ZDQWHG VRPHWKLQJ WKDW ZDVQÂśW ERULQJ LQVWHDG something that would be listened to by DBS students and also the greater public. Radio DBS is built on the foundation of personality driven radio and their ethos is to be fun, current and entertaining. www.radiodbs.ie http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=275022915863 http://www.youtube.com/user/RADIODBS DIT  Sign  Language  Society DIT Sign Language Society employs a carefully designed online social media strategy to engage our community of members, attract new members and build a network of people and organisations with shared values. Sharing information, educating on relevant issues, playing a role in the DIT community, getting in on conversations and learning through interaction are key components of our online personality. A popular cornerstone of our campaign is our YouTube project. We publish instructional Irish Sign Language videos, collaboration video projects made with other DIT Societies and videos on deaf culture & language. http://www.facebook.com/DITSignLanguageSociety http://twitter.com/ditsignsoc http://www.youtube.com/ditsignlanguagesoc DCU  ¹  Music  Soc DCU Music SRFÂśV ZHEVLWH KDV EHHQ DW WKH KHDUW RI WKH VRFLHW\ DIWHr being completely redesigned in the summer of 2010. The site has been the number one source of information for Music Soc members with regards to upcoming activities and events. It has been updated over thirty times across the twenty-four week college term not counting the massive media section which includes Music, Pictures and Video from events running across the year. Social media has been utilized to keep the website at the forefront of college life with embedded Facebook comment boxes and like buttons. http://dcumusic.com/ http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000690319325 http://www.youtube.com/user/dcumusic2010 ITTD  ¹  Radio  Society Behind every good radio station is an even better website and so for us, as a society, to be rewarded for our website both by being nominated by the IT Tallaght and also to be considered among other such illusionary web presences at tonight's award ceremony. As a society we have put in a huge amount of work on twitter, facebook and on our website to provide information as quickly as possible and so for everyone who has navigated onto our pages throughout the year we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. www.ittfm.ie http://www.facebook.com/pages/iTT-­FM/323317589185  http://twitter.com/ITTFM Â

NCI  Business  Society The Business Society in National College of Ireland have used a number of different methods to ensure that we have had a strong online presence over the last year. We have set up a website which which is used to keep all of our members informed about the committee, what events we are planning and any other important news. We have also set up a Facebook, twitter and Linkedin pages which allow us to keep in regular contact with our members. This has allowed us to getting great feedback from our members. www.bsoc.ie https://www.facebook.com/pages/BSoc/110804288952565?ref=ts, http://twitter.com/nci_bsoc, http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3875095

NUIG  -­  Comedy  Soc NUIG Comedy Soc is a society dedicated to the promotion and practice of comedy both on and off campus, including stand up, improv, film and song! In recent years, NUIG Comedy Soc has become one of the biggest and most successful societies in the university. Membership to the society guarantees discounted entry to the local comedy club (weekly stand up, bi-monthly improv & unique musical acts!) in town as well as priority access to certain campus events. www.comedy.nuigalway.ie http://facebook.com/NUIGComedySoc http://twitter.com/nuigcomedy  https://profiles.google.com/nuigcomedy#nuigcomedy/about http://flickr.com/photos/nuigcomedy  http://youtube.com/user/nuigcomedy TCD  ¹  Choral  Society  7KLV \HDU WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 'XEOLQ &KRUDO 6RFLHW\œV RQOLQH SUHVHQFH KDV FRQVLVWHG RI D QHZO\-launched website, along with Facebook and Twitter feeds. The website focused on increasing the level and quality of communication between the society and its members, through regular updates and a graphically rich design. These updates included general society news, aswell as photo galleries, concert information and rehearsal schedules. The website has also been instrumental in membership recruitment, publicising the concerts organised by the society and in increasing the profile of the society in college. www.udcs.org www.twitter.com/udcs http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Dublin-Choral-Society/340270405789

 Best  Fresher  -­  Small  College  NCI  -­  James  Dowling    James is a first year student of business in National College of Ireland. In his time so far, James has set up both the DJ and Winter Sports Socs in NCI and has been involved with other members of the teams in organisning a host of events throughout the year ranging from dance nights out to poker nights with the DJ Soc and skiing lessons here to ski holidays abroad with the Winter Sports Soc. James has actively engaged with anyone willing to take part and as such has been awarded Fresher of the year in National College of Ireland.  DkIT  -­  Shauna  Tuite   Shauna Tuite is an 18 year old from Co.Monaghan. She is currently studying a BA in Video and Film in Dundalk institute of technology. Shauna took advantage of all the college had to offer by joining the media society, which she is now a co-chair. Taking a keen interest in everything the media society had to offer, Shauna became a valued member of the DkITalk radio show team as a co-host and even helped in the launch of the colleges very own radio station DkIT FM. Not only has she had a big role in the radio aspect of the society, but also the filmmaking side, where she was part of the team that brought Come Dine with DkIT to the students, along with other projects put together by the media society and all of this in her first year of college.

ITTD  -­  Philip  Manley   Philip Manley has been nominated for Best Fresher in a small college by ITTD. He is the current Chairman of the Debating Society which is now functioning and thriving. He has been nominated because despite his recent start in college life he has shown maturity and good organisational skills. He has also ensured the profile of ITTD in the debating world has been raised significantly due to contacts from Trinity to Cambridge University.

ITT  Tralee-­  Daniel  Skorka   Daniel Skorka is a games student in the Instiute of Technology Tralee. He is a member of 5 active societies.These societies are as followed: MAGsoc: Stands for Manga Anime Games Society- A group of enthusiasts who love all things in Japanese art and cartoons. Art Society: A society that celebrates all that is Art and Craft and actively work on spreading the word out for art. Airsoft: A group of enthusiasts who enjoy the sport of Airsoft.

Creative writing society: A society which involves itself in the appreciation of both creating written pieces and reading them. Sci-fi soc: A group of enthusiasts of the genre of sci-fi.

Best Fresher -­ Large College DIT -­ Ruth Murray Ruth Murray is a first year Creative&Cultural Industries student in DIT Aungier Street. From the beginning of the year Ruth has been very involved in society life in DIT as an active member of the Banter, Business & Marketing (BAM) and Events societies. She is a core committee member of the latter and this has allowed her to work with her own society and in conjunction with others to put on a wide range of successful events over the year. Constantly bringing determination and great organisational skills to the table Ruth has really proven to be an asset to DIT society life.

DCU -­ Lisa Hoppers Lisa Hoppers enthusiasm and hard work is second to none, and she has been a part of nearly every production by the Drama Society in the past year. As first year rep, Lisa always approaches younger students and informs them of upcoming auditions etc. She supports her other team members on committee at all times, by offering a hand in times of high stress and contributing to committee discussions. She deserves to be recognised for all the hard work and dedication in the past year, it is tough to hold a position on committee whilst juggling a course and extra curricular activities at the same time. Lisa approaches everything with professionalism and a big smile on her face. This is only her first year in University and she has achieved so much, and brought a ton of energy and youth to college events. This lady is going places, watch this space!

NUIG ± Ronan Gallagher Ronan Gallagher was awarded NUIG Best Fresher 2011 for his work with Dramsoc. Within Dramsoc he has gone from a completely novice thespian through almost every position with a production, was chosen as Venue Manager for the Irish Student Drama Association (ISDA) Festival, and elected Head 7HFKQLFLDQ IRU QH[W \HDU¶V &RPPLWWHH ³7R be nominated by my society for NUIG Best Fresher in recognition for my efforts touched me and is the highest honour I could have received from them. To ZLQ WKLV DQG UHSUHVHQW 18,* DW D QDWLRQDO OHYHO LV WUXO\ RQH RI WKH PRVW PRYLQJ H[SHULHQFHV RI P\ OLIH ´ TCD ± Joel Loll-­McKeever Despite his surname, Joel Loll-McKeever takes his societies seriously. He is representing TCD for this award after his nomination by several societies in recognition of his passion and efforts this year. Joel has dedicated massive amounts of time to many societies, significantly Trinity Literary Society, DU Players (Trinity Drama Society) and Trinity LGBT. He has been elected Publicity Officer of the Literary Society for the coming year as well as a committee member of LGBT and is part of the Technical Crew of DU Players. Joel has committed himself to improving the scope, effectiveness and achievements of the societies in Trinity and believes that ultimately societies should be places where everybody and anybody can enjoy themselves.

UL ± Niall Bohan My biggest role and part of U.L Music soc is being manager of the music room in the Students Union.

This is a fully equipped jam space run by the society in which students can have band practice and play away from home. It is my job to manage the bookings for the room and the equipment. This is a great UHVSRQVLELOLW\ DV WKH URRP UHFHLYHV KXJH WUDIILF DQG LV WKH VRFLHW\¶V ELJJHVW UHVRXUFH 0\ ELJJHVW achievement was getting to the final of U.L Live competition and playing on the same stage as Fight /LNH $SHV , KDYH RUJDQLVHG RSHQ PLFV DQG EDQG QLJKWV WKURXJKRXW WKH \HDU ZLWK VRPH RI ,UHODQG¶V WRS acts.

Best Civic Contribution ± Small College ITB ± Photo Soc ITB Photo Soc is incredibly honoured by this nomination which is testament to our members amazing efforts in social and community initiatives over the course of this year.

ITTD -­ Radio Soc The Radio Society are the most unique nomination in tonight's category of "best civic contribution", we as a society set out as a target this year to give back to the community of Tallaght and further afield, we set a precedent among other stations to create a platform of communication that was never even attempted before with our 33 hour broadcast and also we developed deep into our skills as educators to enhance the lives of dis-advantaged kids to teach them and give them a chance to broadcast their own shows for the very first time.

Best Civic Contribution ± Large College

DIT ± Sign Language Society When DIT Sign Language Society was first established in 2008 the principal focus at the time was on providing Sign Language classes for DIT Students. We began linking in the deaf community through volunteering and fundraising. After this we wanted to bring sign language to a wider audience. Out of this desire came our YouTube channel which hosted our online tutorials (the first of its kind). The more we worked with the deaf community the more we became aware of issues affecting marginalised groups within our society. We felt an urged to do something more than just volunteering and fundraising we wanted tackle attitudes and perceptions that traditionally see disability as something negative, something lesser, something to be DIUDLG RI RU VRPHWKLQJ WKDW LVQ¶W HYHQ VHHQ DW DOO NUIG ± Draíocht Society Draíocht was founded in 2007 by Melanie Hennessy, a student in NUI Galway. She went to Nepal with an Irish charity organisation and found the conditions were awful, with children left without proper food and shelter. She met Neel, a Nepali businessman who is head of Team Nepal and with him she helped build a school and orphanage. Draiocht is now a registered charity involved in raising awareness for Nepal in Galway, and sends volunteers every year to help at the Orphanage in Tallamerang. We have bought a new plot of land to construct a new orphanage and carry on with our walking health camps in the next year. Our main aim is to secure the future of our ten children!

TCD -­ University Philosophical Society The PhilSpeaks Debating Initiative, operated by the Univeristy Philosophical Society of Trinity College, Dublin was chosen by the Central Societies Committee to represent the College for Best Civic Engagement in recognition of the outstanding work done by those involved in teaching children from all over Ireland how to speak in public and to debate. The debating competition is unique in that it operates on an all-Ireland basis and also because it caters towards disadvantaged schools to become involved too, who aren't traditional debating schools. PhilSpeaks is an avenue through which teenagers from all over Ireland are exposed to the invaluable aspects of public speaking.

Best New Society -­ Small College CIT -­ Student Musical Society The CIT Student Musical Society has had an extremely successful first year, staging two productions, one featuring internationally acclaimed opera singer Mary Hegarty, and both of which were directed by actor Ciaran Bermingham, who is currently staring in HBO's 'Game of Thrones'. Our society is made up of students from three different campuses, all of whom were all involved in many different aspects of the productions including the music, acting/singing, lighting and costume design, as well as multimedia aspects. We hope that we have built a platform that will nurture and develop the talent of our college and provide low cost entertainment to the people of Cork for years to come.

NCI -­ Business Society The Business Society aims to encourage students to think about business and open their minds to new ideas. We have done this by making business fun to students through organising events ranging from entrepreneurial talks to trips to Leinster house, London and Thurles. Our ultimate aim is to help our members develop into well rounded students, who understands that business is more than just profit and can be fun!

DBS -­ Radio DBS When we started out two years ago, we wanted to produce shows that really spoke to the students and staff of Dublin Business School, with a view to expanding our listenership to people outside of our college. We aimed to provide a platform for other societies in Dublin Business School to broadcast their news and upcoming events and have seen a huge demand for timeslots on our podcasts.

DKIT -­ Laptop Music Production Society The DkIT Laptop Music Production Society is going forward for it's notable achievements over it's first year. These include having members featured in the worlds best selling music production magazine, over 20 events in one year [among more collaborated events], members featured on RTE pulse radio, a full length cd release along with many constant smaller releases, being one of the two societies to establish the college's first ever radio station, winning the society of the year award in DkIT and more.

ITB LGBT Soc (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Society) An LGBT Society has not existed in ITB for more than 5 years. By setting up the society we aimed to provide an opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and friends of LGBT people in ITB to meet each other and socialise together. We also aim to raise awareness and challenge negative perceptions of the LGBT Community within the college.

ITTD -­ Harambee Society The Harambee Society was established in September 2010. Harambee in Swahili means "family and friends supporting one another " Young people attending ITT Dublin are committed to fund-raising to support the educational development of disadvantaged children in Mukuru, a slum area in Nairobi, Kenya. Our new society has 20 members and has raised monies, through fund-raising activities, to support 10 children from the Mukuru Slums to attend second level education. Our Society has forged close links with the community of Mukuru and promotes the value of education, cultural integration and global-local links.

IT Tralee -­ Airsoft Society We are the IT Tralee Airsoft Society. This year we set up this society to bring the game of Airsoft to the students of IT Tralee. We have played numerous games in Cork and Limerick. Throughout the year we have held on Campus Target Shooting Days and meetings to create awareness of the sport. Because of the determination and team spirit of our members we were given the award for Best New Society in IT Tralee for 2010/11. IT Tralee Airsoft Society motto - Airsoft...The Honourable Way to Play!

NUIM -­ Mental Health Society As the newly founded Mental Health Society in Maynooth, we are delighted to have won best new society in our college. This was great recognition for all the hard work we have done to raise awareness about mental health. It was no small task, but we as a team, have worked hard to ensure our society has reached its maximum potential. We are gaining more interest every day and people are constantly approaching us. Your mental health is not something that should be sidelined for anything and we are working to ensure that this is the case across the board.

Best New Society -­ Large College DIT Samba Society DIT's Samba Society is a society based around the appreciation and practice of a particular type of Brazilian drumming. Samba is an exhuberant, energetic and accessible form of music that evokes an atmosphere that everyone associates with college life. Our society gives the students of DIT a chance to become involved in an activity that allows them to express themselves musically and to have fun. It provides a great interactive learning opportunity for experienced and inexperienced musicians alike through weekly drumming workshops and performances.

DCU Enterprise Society A huge amount of hard work, commitment time and dedication went into setting up the Enterprise 6RFLHW\ DQG PDNLQJ LW D VXFFHVV ,W ZDVQ¶W DQ HDV\ WDsk but we feel that we successfully achieved our aims of promoting entrepreneurship around the college and getting as many students involved as possible. It is a brand new society, for our committee it was the first time they took an active position on a committee. We took what advice was given to us from the SLC and other society committees and used it throughout the year to ensure we made ESoc the best it could be. Holding the title for biggest society brings a lot of pressure to ensure we do our best to give our members what they want. We gained this title through hard work and initiative NUIG Comic book Society WE ARE COMIC SOC. WE ROCK CASBAHS. GAUGE AWESOME LEVEL: TAKE AWESOM( 08/7,3/< [ $/0267 7+(5( « ATTACH ANSWER TO SPACE SHUTTLE. LAUNCH. ',5(&7,21" 681 « AWESOME LEVEL EXCEEDS CAPACITY SUN CAN TAKE. EXPLOSION. NOW YOU'VE GOT IT. SEE IF IT DOESN'T MELT YOUR FACE. TOUGH ISN'T IT. WE ARE THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. BUT A CUP OF TAE AND A BICCIE IS JUST ENOUGH SOMETIMES. READ COMICS. ENJOY. LEARN. ENHANCE LIVING. FOREVER. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/comicsoc.nuig TCD Knitting Society TCD's Knitting Society aims to promote, share and teach knitting and other yarn crafts. It holds beginners workshops, workshops in advanced techniques and Stitch'n'Bitch meetings. The purpose of the society is to introduce people to knitting in a supportive, relaxed and sociable environment. KnitSoc combines craftwork, creativity and philanthropy, sometimes all at once. In its very first year KnitSoc has grown to over four hundred members and received the Trinity CSC Overall Society of the Year award, which isn't too shabby for a bunch of little old ladies.

Best Individual -­ Small College

CIT -­ Zeynep Ezgi Muderrisoglu Ezgi's involvement in societies in CIT has been amazing. Her contribution not just to the International Student Society for which is has held the position of Chairperson for 2 years, has been immense. Her core ethos is to give time to organising, coordinating and contribution to events for the benefit of other students.

NCI -­ Aideen Blake Aideen has been a great asset to both the society and college life. Through setting up the society three years ago she has done much for the college by helping first year students integrate better into college life. She has made made NCI feel less of a college and more of a home. She lives by the phrase "Hard working all the time".

DkIT  -­  ,DUOD 2œ1HLOO  ,DUOD 2œ1HLOO LV D \HDU ROG *DOZD\ QDWLYH ,DUOD LV VWXG\LQJ YLGHR DQG ILOP LQ DkIT and has brought his expertise and knowledge to his role and involvement in the media society. He oversees the running of the media society through all aspects of film making, radio with DkITALK ¹ Which he runs and hosts, as well being the creator and producer of Dundalk Student TV.  Iarla has brought the media society the forefront of DkIT and has ensured himself as a main contact with clubs and societies. He has come a long way since (BICS) Best Fresher, in all he can say is "onwards and upwards".   ITTD  -­  Damilola  Agunbiade   :KHQ , ILUVW IRXQG RXW ,œG EHHQ QRPLQDWHG IRU ³%HVW ,QGLYLGXDO´ &DWHJRU\ , ZDV XWWHUO\ RYHUZKHOPHG ,œYH EHHQ DZDUH RI WKH SUHVWLJH RI WKH %,&6 HYHQ EHIRUH , EHFDPH D &ROOHJH 6WXGHQW WKURXJK IULHQGV

Having been selected to go forth from the Institute already makes me feel like a winner. , FDQœW ZDLW WR MRLQ DOO WKH RWKHU SDUWLFLSDQWV DW WKLV \HDUœV FHUHPRQ\ ,œP PRVW KRQRXUHG WR EH D SDUW RI LW 0\ JUDWLWXGH goes to BICS Organisers, ITT Dublin and my beloved Drama Society.  ITT  Tralee  ¹  Kate  Molyneaux  My name is Kate and I have been an active member of the ITT LGBT Society for the last two years. I joined because I am passionate about equality and I believe that LGBT students in Ireland are not treated equally. , KDYH VHUYHG DV WKLV \HDUœV 9LFH-Auditor and recently won the ITT Society award for Best Individual. I cannot wait to get to the awards and meet other like minded people! If you see me around feel free to say hello!

NUIM  -­  Julie  Douglas  My nomination for this award was due to my significant contribution to the French Society as President and the Spotlight (style) Society as Fundraising Officer in 2010/2011. Within the French Society, I played an important role in its transformation from a dormant to a vibrant society with over 300 members. Our debate victory over TCD was a huge boost to both the Society and the small NUIM French Department.:LWKLQ WKH 6SRWOLJKW 6RFLHW\ , ZDV UHVSRQVLEOH IRU FROOHFWLQJ PRUH WKDQ Ÿ IRU WKH Make A Wish Foundation for terminally-ill children by organizing and working at four major fundraising events over a two month period.

Best  Individual  -­  Large  College   DIT  -­  Colin  Campbell  For the past Year I have given my all for the drama society by every means possible. But this is only because I love the society so much and everything it offers me. Being given a platform to stage my own work and be involved in plays, organise theatre trip and trips away, awards nights, set up workshops and basically explore drama in ways I wouldnœt be able to without the Societies office, is an opportunity not a burden and if people want to award me for that so be it. I just canœt wait for next year.  DCU  -­  Jacqueline  Fox  Jackie Fox has been a committee member of Art Soc over the past three years. This year, as Chairperson, she has helped it grow and develop to become one of the most active societies in DCU. She has been dedicated to Society Life since her first day in DCU and has always considered the opinions and suggestions others, to make the best decisions for the societies she has been involved in.

She has been interactive with other societies also, for instance; Book Soc, Paranormal Soc, Drama and MPS and which has led her to become one of the most active people in DCU Society Life.  NUIG-­  Neasa  O'  Callaghan  This year, I was a member of three committees: Classics Soc; the Literary & Debating and Dramsoc. I was the Auditor for the Classics Society and also served as University Representative on the Classical Association of Ireland. I was the Literary Convenor for the Literary & Debating Society and edited, wrote and desigQHG WKHLU DQQXDO SXEOLFDWLRQ ¾/LW 'HEDXFKHGœ , ZDV KHDYLO\ LQYROYHG ZLWK WKH 'UDPD Society this year as the ISDA Festival Director. The ISDA Festival ran from 4th-12th of March.

Moreover, I produced, wrote and directed productions with the society.

TCD  -­  Declan  Meehan  Declan Meehan has served as President of the University Philosophical Society, of Trinity College Dublin, for the past year and has been nominated by the Central Societies Committee to represent the College at the awards. Typically a sabbatical position, Declan sought successfully to combine his final year of College with the Phil Presidency, time after time putting the Society before all other commitments. During his term, Declan has pioneered the hugely successful Oscar Wilde Festival, the Leadership at the Phil forum, as well as welcoming incomparable guest speakers to the College, such as Chief Economist of the World Bank, Dr. Justin Lin; Sir Michael Gambon; President of Ireland, Mary McAleese; Prof. Paul Collier; Mr. Rupert Everett and the elusive Mr. Stephen Fry to speak before the Society.   UL  -­  Kieran  Phipps  Kieran Phipps is founder first and current president and main force behind UL International Society.

Now in its third full year, the International Society has flourished under Kieran's leadership, quickly EHFRPLQJ RQH RI WKH ODUJHVW DQG PRVW DFWLYH VRFLHWLHV RQ FDPSXV .LHUDQÂśV KDUG ZRUN HWKLF HQWKXVLDVP and positive nature have all played a key role in growing the society and is a credit to him. His dedication to UL International Society and his firm belief in the integration of international students into the wider campus community has contributed to a more enjoyable and open campus for exchange students in UL.

Best  Event  -­  Small  College CIT  Music  Society  -­  Battle  of  the  Bands  6  week  Event The CIT Music Society hosted a battle of the bands event series which involved hosting heats gigs and the grand BOB finale! Provided the perfect platform for upcoming CIT bands giving many of them their first opportunity to gig live. The standard of performances was supreme making this the most successful Music Society event in recent time.

DkIT  Fit  For  Life  Society  ¹  Come  Dine  With  Me Come Dine with Fit 4 Life hosted an innovative event targeting all students within DkIT. Come Dine With DkIT took 5 students from 5 different courses and watched as they battled it out, hosting, serving and entertianing each other over 5 nights. The members of the Society range from both the Fit 4 Life Society and the Media Society. These members took on the event with their own iniative and knowledge of previous event management and created an event that became the main event for DkIT for 2010/2011. The society achieved their aim of educating both staff and students alike on the benefits of a healthy diet and tips on how students can eat more healthy on a minimal budget.

ITTD  Radio  Society  ¹  Radio  Week ITT Dublin's Radio Society broadcasts two yearly non-consecutive Radio Week events. February's week ran from Monday 14th the Friday 18th, during which time all members of the society worked together to ensure the continued success of the annual event. Bringing together students in roles ranging from producing to presenting, Radio Week gives our members the chance to experience working in a live broadcasting atmosphere while putting to use the skills they've learned from course modules. This year's event featured 33 With ITT, a marathon 33 hour broadcast in aid of Temple Street Children's Hospital.

IT  Tralee  The  Wildlife  Society  -­  Visit  by  Kilkenny  Reptile  Village The Wildlife Society I.T.Tralee is very proud & KRQRXUHG WR KDYH EHHQ QRPLQDWHG IRU WKH DZDUG Âł%HVW (YHQW´ 2XU VRFLHW\ LV D UHODWLYHO\ QHZ VRFLHW\ DLPLQJ WR EULQJ WRJHWKHU VWXGHQWV RI DOO DJHV EDFNJURXQGV ZKR KDYH DQ LQWHUHVW LQ ZLOGOLIH QDWXUH LQ HIIHFW WR DOORZ SHRSOH WR ÂłVWRS VPHOO WKH roseV´ 6RFLHW\ PHPEHUV FRPH WRJHWKHU WKURXJK D YDULHW\ RI HYHQWV WR HQMR\ ZLOGOLIH LQ D IXQ UHOD[HG educational environment. This event centred on bringing several live Reptiles to the campus itself & allowing our members to learn about them & handle them on a one to one basis-an amazing experience for all involved! Â

Mary  I  The  One  World  Society  -­  Fairtrade  Fortnight The One World Society of Mary Immaculate College aims to promote social justice, development, environmental sustainability and Fairtrade throughout the college campus and within the local community. Last year, there was a strong focus in striving to achieve Fairtrade certification for our College. This year we focused on maintaining the Fairtrade status by promoting Fairtrade Fortnight thus ensuring the college community understood the value of being a Fairtrade college. Throughout the two weeks we organized a table quiz, Fairtrade raffles, a Fairtrade bake sale, coffee mornings etc..., eventually culminating to our participation in the St. PatriFNœV 'D\ SDUDGH NUIM  Games  Society  -­  Dominicon 'RPLQLFRQ WKLV LV WKH JDPLQJ FRQYHQWLRQ WKDW ZHœYH UDQ HYHU\ \HDU LQ 1RYHPEHU 7KLV \HDU ZH UDQ LW RQ the weekend of the 12th-14th of November. We run games of all kinds, Console games, Wargames, Card games, board games, Role Playing Games and a pub quiz. With many people attending from other FROOHJHœV JDPLQJ VRFLHWLHV DV ZHOO DV RXU RZQ :H DOVR UDQ DQ RQJRLQJ QHZVOHWWHU IRU WKH FRQYHQWLRQ LQ the months preceding the convention. The event has been running succesfully running since 1995 and this year has been one of the most successful yet.

Best  Event  -­  Large  College  DIT  eDIT  festival  Committee  eDIT  festival The eDIT festival was a ten day cultural and social DIT societies festival, which aimed to harness the talents and skills of DIT societies and students. Based in the heart of Dublin city's Temple Bar the festival brought together exhibitions, competitions, creative spaces and discussions with some of the best and most varied nights out of the year. The festival succeeded in bringing together students from across the whole of DIT and it's many disciplines and managed to highlight and showcase the best of what DIT has to offer with all proceeds donated to Focus Ireland.

D C U DCU Dance Society - Strictly Come DCU '&8 'DQFH 6RFLHW\ LV H[WUHPHO\ SURXG DQG H[FLWHG WR QRPLQDWH ³6WULFWO\ &RPH '&8´ IRU WKH ³%HVW (YHQW´ FDWHJRU\ DW %,&6 7KLV HYHQW KDV EURNHQ GRZQ ERXQGDries within the university that have never been tackled before. For the first time ever, staff and students joined together in the true style of WKH UHDO ³6WULFWO\ &RPH 'DQFLQJ´ '&8 'DQFH PHPEHUV WHDPHG XS ZLWK VHQLRU VWDII PHPEHUV VXFK DV the President Brian McCraith and Secretary Martin Conry, to learn tango or salsa. Throw in some charismatic celebrity judges, Stavros Flatley and a DCU Dance troop performance ¹ it was a magical night. It raised thousands of Euro given straight to Raise & Give Week charities, and forged relationships that will prove beneficial for years to come. It has paved the way for other societies to push the boundaries of university involvement.

NUIG  Drama  Society  ISDA  Theatre  festival Hosted this year by NUIG Dramsoc The Irish Student Drama Association (commonly referred to as ,6'$ LV WKH XPEUHOOD RUJDQL]DWLRQ RI ,UHODQGœV PRVW SUROLILF WKLUG-level drama societies. The highlight of the ISDA year is the Association's annual Theatre Festival is a week-long festival in which all member societies travel to the selected city and perform plays from their home college. The 2011 ISDA Festival ran from the 4th -12th of March in NUIG Galway and featured 24 plays from 12 colleges around the country, with plays being performed every day in the Druid Theatre, Nun's Island Theatre and the Bank of Ireland Theatre and finishing up with a Gala Ball this year the Society also ran a fringe festival and were the talk of the town.

TCD  Dublin  University  Players  -­  Shakespeare  Festival  With the Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival 2010, DU Players set out to create a festival that would both appeal to the college community as well giving the general public the opportunity to see some of Shakespeare finest works in idyllic locations around the City such as, Trinity College Dublin, 6W 6WHSKHQœV *UHHQ 0HUULRQ 6TXDUH &KULVW &KXUFK &DWKHGUDO DQG PDQ\ PRUH $ORQJVLGH WKH IHVWLYDO there was also a comprehensive social outreach programme bringing Shakespearean plays and workshops to Schools around the city. DU Players are delighted to have been involved in what is now one of quickest growing events in the Irish cultural calendar.

UL  UL  International  Society  International  Week International Week was a series of events held throughout week 2 of the academic calendar in semester 2 in order to show case the wide variety of people and cultures that exist within the UL community. )XUWKHUPRUH WKH ZHHNORQJ HYHQW DLPHG WR HQKDQFH SHRSOHœV SHUVSHFWLYHV RI GLIIHUHQW SHRSOHV UDFHV DQG cultures. This was achieved through film nights, coffee mornings, international food fairs, the inaugural International Society Ball in aid of the Haiti Fund, a Reggaeton Night in the local student nightclub and a celebration of Chinese New Year in the university restaurant.

Most  Improved  Society  -­  Small  College ITB  Computer  Society The Computer Society from Blanchardstown, for most Improved Society, for tirelessly meeting the needs of all it's members when they ask and morphing into what they need most.

CIT  Dance  Society we are nominated for most improved society and our efforts can be seen throughout our portfolio. We have built the society up from the ground and it is now one of the most recognised and successful societies within our college. this took alot of hard work, teamwork and dedication from all our members but it has really paid off. we are proud to be part of this society and hope it grows more in the future.

DKIT  Fit  4  Life  Society The main aim of the Fit 4 Life Society was to enable the DkIT coPPXQLW\ WR ³*HW $FWLYH *HW ,QYROYHG DQG /LYH /LIH´ 7KLV ZDV DFKLHYHG E\ FUHDWLQJ LPDJLQDWLYH DQG IXQ DZDUHQHVV FDPSDLJQV RQ WRSLFDO issues such as alcohol awareness, fitness, positive mental health, nutrition and responsible sexual behaviour. This year saw the DkIT model being national recognised as an exemplary model of Health Promotion within a third level institution.

ITTD  Hip  Hop  Dance  Society The Hip Hop Dance Society is very excited to be in this event. We're sure we are going to have an amazing time and experience in Galway. We represent our Society because we enjoy being a part of this huge community, meeting new people and gaining more experience every time. A Society brings us all together as a big family and that is why we enjoy it so much. Therefore Societies have to always stick together and I think ours really do, which is why we were so successful this year. We improved hugely and we are very proud of ourselves to be able to step up and represent our College in such an important event for all of us.

IT  Tralee  LGBT  society The IT Tralee LGBT society has been active since September 2007. Growing every year since the society has seen a boom in membership this year with numbers nearly quadrupled. We have managed a large campaign this year and are positive that next year will be even bigger. We have won Most Improved Society at the IT Tralee Society awards and are heading to the BICS to bring back the national award!

Most  Improved  Society  -­  Large  College  DIT  Drama  Society DIT Drama Society is running for the award of Most Improved Society. Starting off the year with virtually no information about the previous year, the Society eventually went on to stage 6 productions, including two original plays written by members as well as staging a One-Act Festival. Members of the Society organized theatre trips to plays performed in Dublin and also helped to organize the DIT Halloween Ball, which was attended by an estimated 800 people. The Society's Vice-President Colin Campbell won the prestigious Best Actor award at the ISDA awards for his original play "Wasters". The society's Drama Festival ran in the Teacher's Club on Parnell Square during March 2011.

DCU RedBrick -­ Networking Society 5HG%ULFN LV '&8 V 1HWZRUNLQJ VRFLHW\ DQG '&8¶V RQO\ VRFLHW\ WKDW is active 24/7, 365 days of the year.

We celebrated our 15th birthday this year. We provide technical services such as chat, webboards, a wiki, virtual machines and webspace to our users. We also provide hosting for all college societies and clubs free of charge. Our flagship events include admin training where we teach students how to become sysadmins and programming practice, where we train for programming intervarsities. We are peered with several university netsocs through the Intersocs online network, including DUCSS, TCDNetsoc and Skynet Limerick.

NUIG GIG Society GIG Soc is the LGBT society in NUIG. We aim to bring together all members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community that are interested in getting involved in the university, together with all those interested in LGBT issues, rights and social events. Over the course of the past year we have become the largest LGBT society in Ireland, through a mix of awareness campaigns, film screenings, fun events, high profile advertising and a focus on all-inclusivity and acceptance.

TCD Card & Bridge Society The DU Card & Bridge society provides a platform for students to enjoy all kinds of card games in a social and novice-friendly environment. This year the society has reached out to students and societies within Trinity College, helping to organise and run multiple events and card nights! Furthermore the society has also branched out to other colleges, hosting and organising the inaugural All-Ireland Poker InterVarsity. The DU Card & Bridge Society was awarded Best New/Improved Society in Trinity College for the year 2010/2011. However none of this could have been achieved without the dedication of our members and the support of the CSC to whom the Committee are extremely grateful.

Best Society -­ Small College

CIT Business & Accounting Society Within CIT, the Business & Accounting Society is a coursed based society for the School of Business.

As a society our aim is to promote student social and academic events. Our main aim in inviting guests is to promote entrepreneurship in CIT which is a major goal of CIT as an institute. Events that we organise are trips to career fairs, ice skating, student fun days, and seminars where we invite Graduates and well known influential speakers to come to CIT through the year. This year we were greeted by such big names as Bobby Kerr (Dragons Den), Sean Gallagher (Dragons Den), Eddie Hobbs (Financial Guru) and Darina Allen (Ireland Best Known Chef).

NCI Peer Mentor Society The Peer Mentor Society in NCI is all about helping the new first years in the college to settle into the new learning environment. We help them with any queries they may have and run events that help them to settle into college life. The events are aimed at getting the first years to feel more comfortable with college life and hope they are settling in fine, these events include students from every year as we exclude nobody. The society is a great asset to the college.

DKIT The Media Society Within DkIT, the Film-making Society, Dundalk Student Television and the DkITalk radio show amalgamated to form the 'Media Society'. As the name suggests the society deals in various types of media - training in the actual production side of media (camera, lighting, etc.), creating regular Youtube videos, and presenting a weekly college based radio show. The aim of the Media Society is to inform students on the important events and issues affecting them in their college life while also providing a fun and entertaining outlet for our viewers and listeners, as well as our own participating members. The society strives to get every other Clubs and Societies within the college involved as much as possible.

Among many other projects this year, the society has launched the first ever radio station within DkIT(DkIT FM) and produced Come Dine With DkIT which were both received brilliantly within the college. The society has grown so much over the past three years and is only continuing to do so.

ITTD  Radio  Society ITT Dublin's Radio Society brings together students with with an interest in any and all aspects of radio production, giving them a chance to experience a live broadcasting environment twice a year with two week-long Radio Week events. Each member contributes to the best of their talents, volunteering themsevles for the role that best suits them, be it producing, researching, desk operating, or presenting.

This year, the Radio Society formed a partnership with Temple Street Children's Hospital and hosted a marathon 33 hour non-stop live broadcast, raising funds for the charity and promoting their cause on the air.

IT  Tralee  IT  Tralee  Radio  Society  (BangFM) 7KH ,7 7UDOHH 5DGLR 6RFLHW\ ZRQ ³%HVW 6RFLHW\´ IRU WKH VHFRQG \HDU UXQQLQJ LQ DW WKHLU recent society awards and are now heading for the BICs. The Radio Society have transformed their FROOHJH UDGLR VWDWLRQ ³%DQJ)0 ´ IURP D OXQFKWLPH MXNHER[ WR D SURYLGHU RI HGJ\ DQG HQWHUWDLQLQJ programming with a dose of news and current affairs thrown in! The success of the society is due to the unlimited dedication and passion of its members. Their society has shown great development; growth and success in the past 12 months and to win this award would be the icing on the proverbial cake!  NUIM  Playdo  Society  Playdo aims to provide a creative outlet for students in Maynooth to maximize their talents, and to simply relax. We are a society that don't do stress, and don't believe in restrictions. No project is to big or small for this little but mighty society. This year we have done everything from cardboard wars, to beard hat knitting and even pumpkin carving! Why paint on paper when you can paint on construction boards? Why send an email when you can give out origami dogs? And why be the norm when you can be in Playdo?!

                        Best  Society  Large  College DIT  Sign  Language  Society When the Society was first established in 2008 the principal focus at the time was on providing Sign Language classes for DIT Students. We began linking in the deaf community through volunteering and fundraising. After this we wanted to bring sign language to a wider audience. Out of this desire came our YouTube channel which hosted our online tutorials (the first of its kind). The more we worked with the deaf community the more we became aware of issues affecting marginalised groups within our society. We felt an urged to do something more than just volunteering and fundraising we wanted tackle attitudes and perceptions that traditionally see disability as something negative, something lesser, VRPHWKLQJ WR EH DIUDLG RI RU VRPHWKLQJ WKDW LVQœW HYHQ VHHQ DW DOO  DCU  Media  Production  Society DCU Media Production Society is the society that runs DCUfm and DCUtv and much more. It facilitates its members to creatively express themselves, make lifelong friends, develop personally and develop their radio and television production skills. It is the only society in DCU to provide a huge contribution to college life, real career value to members, and a vibrant social aspect. MPS has seen its members to go on to win plenty of national media awards. We are confident that many of the MPS members now, are the faces of the Irish media of the future.

NUIG  Drama  Society Dramsoc 2010/11 has surpassed all expectations. From producing only five productions last year to performing twenty plays with more to come, thirty-five workshops and organising an 8-day intervarsity IHVWLYDO 18,*ÂśV 'UDPDWLF 6RFLHW\ KDV JRQH IURP VWUHQJWK WR VWUHQJWK $ ILIWHHQ-strong committee all added to this journey, bringing their expertise in many areas to fruition in a productive and solid year of activity. This society has brought itself to the fore of many students interests and has tried to revive the inherent cultural connection that NUI Galway has had for many years through an extra-curricular student-based society. Â

TCD  Orchestral  Society '8 2UFKHVWUDO 6RFLHW\ RU ¾7ULQLW\ 2UFKHVWUDœ LV ,UHODQGœV RQO\ FRPSOHWHO\ VWXGHQW-run orchestra, and RQH RI WKH FRXQWU\œV PRVW VXFFHVVIXO DQG H[FLWLQJ RQHV DW WKDW ,W KDV KDG LWV PRVW ambitious year in its history this year, over tripling its membership and putting on a huge range of innovative performances ¹ from traditional symphonic repertoire and their first concert abroad, to their orchestral arrangements of popular music, such as their famous performances of the music of Daft Punk. They have truly been able to capture the attention of all kinds of music fans, many of whom may never have listened to an orchestra before.

UL  International  Society The main aim of UL International Society is the integration of international students into the campus life if the University of Limerick and Ireland in general. The idea this society is to break the boundaries between the Irish students and the international students in UL. An active international society not only boosts the reputation of a university, it also embraces the very idea of the EU-funded Erasmus programme and international student exchange programmes in general - the meeting and embracing of young people from different countries and cultures from around the world.