Young heroes shine in 2026 YAFTA’s

The 2026 Youth and Future Talent Awards (YAFTA’s) brought together the district's most inspiring young people who make a difference in their communities daily.

Now in its fourteenth year, the YAFTAs were founded in 2012 by the Newry and Mourne Youth Council and since then, the Awards have grown to recognise inspirational individuals and groups from right across the Newry, Mourne and Down district.

The Education Authority lead in the responsibility for managing and delivering the event as well as running the Youth Council programme throughout the year.

While EA staff provide the structure and support to make the evening happen, the YAFTAs themselves are very much designed and created by the young people of the Youth Council, a testament to the programme's ethos of putting young people at the centre of everything it does.

More than 100 young people, youth workers and invited guests came together for the celebration, enjoying performances from talented young people Megan McCourt and Sean Morgan, whose musical showcase wowed the audience and Kyla McComiskey, who captivated the room with a stunning display of Irish Dancing.

Assistant Director of Youth Services in the Education Authority, Arlene Kee, paid tribute to everyone involved: "The YAFTAs highlight everything that is exceptional about young people.

“Not only do the Awards recognise remarkable achievements, but the entire event is shaped and driven by young people themselves. Their creativity, leadership and passion for celebrating one another is what makes the YAFTAs special.

We are incredibly proud of every young person involved, both those nominated and those working behind the scenes."

This year's winners and runners up spanned eight categories, reflecting the breadth of talent, compassion and leadership across the district.

Congratulations to every nominee, runner up and winner, the YAFTAs exist because of you.