A new Blue Light Awards initiative to honour and celebrate members of the emergency services and military in Ireland, will serve to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary achievements and unwavering dedication of frontline personnel and their organisations across this country.
Nominations for the Ireland Blue Light Awards 2026 are now open for members of An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service, the Fire Services, Defence Forces, the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI, Mountain Rescue, and other emergency response and frontline organisations. The deadline date for all entries has been extended to Friday 15 May, and early submissions are encouraged.
All award categories are free to enter, and nominations may be submitted by colleagues, organisations or members of the public. Each entry will be carefully reviewed by an independent panel of judges, selected for their expertise and experience, thereby ensuring a fair, transparent and robust judging process.
The award winners will be revealed at a gala ceremony at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin 4 on Saturday 15 August, bringing together representatives from across Ireland’s blue light and frontline emergency services for an evening dedicated to celebrating the people behind the uniforms, to honour excellence, innovation and service across statutory, voluntary and community-based organisations in Ireland.
Stephen Moore, founder of Out of the Blue, and Jason Gillard, co-founder of the Blue Light Awards and Connect Through Service (centre) pictured with emergency services personnel at the launch of the awards at the ‘Emergency Services & Military Expo’ at the RDS on 19 March.
The new awards scheme for Ireland is being delivered by Out of the Blue, a training and employment services company that caters for emergency services personnel considering their future careers – as well as for anyone contemplating a career within the emergency services.
Out of the Blue has joined forces with Connect Through Service to deliver the awards, in association with ‘Emergency Services Ireland’ as the Media Partner.
Former Garda Stephen Moore, Founder and MD of Out of the Blue, said he was delighted to be bringing the very first Ireland’s Blue Light Awards to life along with Connect Through Service (which links veterans and emergency services personnel with employers across Britain and Northern Ireland). He noted that “if there’s one group in our society that deserves to be recognised, honoured, and celebrated, it is the brave men and women of our emergency services”.
The Ireland Blue Light Awards, which are free to enter, are being run in association with charity partner Little Blue Heroes Foundation. The charity’s mission is to provide practical and financial support to families of children who have serious illnesses in Ireland, while also granting the wishes of the children it supports to become Honorary Gardaí.
‘Emergency Services Ireland’ Editor Grace Heneghan (right) pictured with her sister Anne at this year’s Emergency Services & Military Expo, before the launch of the Ireland Blue Light Awards 2026.
Former Garda Stephen Moore, Founder and MD of Out of the Blue, said he was delighted to be bringing the very first Ireland’s Blue Light Awards to life along with Connect Through Service (which links veterans and emergency services personnel with employers across Britain and Northern Ireland). He noted that “if there’s one group in our society that deserves to be recognised, honoured, and celebrated, it is the brave men and women of our emergency services”.
The Ireland Blue Light Awards, which are free to enter, are being run in association with charity partner Little Blue Heroes Foundation. The charity’s mission is to provide practical and financial support to families of children who have serious illnesses in Ireland, while also granting the wishes of the children it supports to become Honorary Garda
Chris Mee, Founder and CEO of EHS International (Gold Awards Partner) added: “Emergency responders carry enormous responsibility. Their professionalism, training and teamwork protect lives every day. We are proud to support the Ireland Blue Light Awards and to help recognise the dedication of Ireland’s emergency services community.”
The Ireland Blue Light Awards serve to build on an established programme recognising excellence within emergency services in Northern Ireland since 2024, now bringing that platform to a wider audience across Ireland. Jason Gillard and Graham Given, Co-Founders of the Blue Light Awards, said: “Emergency service personnel dedicate their lives to protecting others, often in the most challenging and unpredictable situations. The awards were created to recognise that commitment and to celebrate the individuals and teams whose work makes a real difference to communities every day.”
Click here for further information on the award categories, entry forms, tickets and event details.
