Judges.
Judging Panel | 2025/26
Richard Carr | INSPA Curator & Head Judge
Richard is an artist-curator and educational photographer whose work has been supported by key public and private institutions, including Culture Ireland and the Arts Council of Ireland. This support has enabled him to exhibit alongside leading international figures, including Dr. Michael Petry (MOCA London) and Hollywood A-list, Oscar-nominated film composer John Powell.
With over a decade of experience, Richard has worked extensively as a school photographer and has led numerous educational, cultural, and community-based projects. He is a strong advocate for creative well-being in education and continues to champion its integration into learning environments.
He holds an MFA from NCAD and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business in Cultural Event Management from IADT. He also completed a placement with the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), collaborating closely with its education department.
Richard is the founding director of INSPA, a professional member of Visual Artists Ireland and Interface Inagh (where science meets Art), and currently serves on the Visual Arts Committee at Wexford Arts Centre, contributing to the development of the arts across Ireland.
Anne Horan | INTO President
Anne Horan is the current President of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation. From Ballineen in West Cork, Anne lives in Glin, Co. Limerick. She has represented District 13, covering Limerick and Kerry on the INTO Central Executive Committee since 2015.
Anne has been a member of the INTO since she began teaching in 1980 and has worked at all levels of the union from staff representative to member of the Benefits Fund Committee to a full member of the Central Executive Committee.
Following graduation from Mary Immaculate College, Anne began teaching in Dunmanus NS (a one teacher school), on the Mizen Peninsula in 1980. In 1986 she moved to West Limerick where after a number of years working as a substitute teacher, she taught in St. Fergus NS in Glin. In 2008, Anne moved to Carrickerry NS, a 3-teacher rural school in West Limerick, where she is currently a teaching principal.
Anne has taught children of all ages and classes over her career. She sees education as important in helping each child to achieve their potential in life. She is a firm believer in the importance of personal development and enjoys studying to further her own knowledge base.
David Booth | National Gallery of Ireland's Zurich Portrait Prize Winner (2022)
David Booth (b. 1986, Dublin) is an Irish painter working primarily in portraiture.
He holds a BA in Fine Art from the Wexford School of Art, I.T. Carlow (2013), and has been based in Dublin since, maintaining a full-time studio practice for the past eight years. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Royal Hibernian Academy, the National Gallery of Ireland, and the BP Portrait Award at the National Gallery, London.
Booth was awarded the Zurich Portrait Prize at the National Gallery of Ireland in 2022, having previously been shortlisted in 2017 and 2020. He was also a finalist in the BP Portrait Award in 2018 and received the Evans Painting Prize in 2016. His most recent solo exhibition, Polybond (2021), was held at Hang Tough Contemporary in Dublin. His work is held in both public and private collections.
Deirdre Kelly | President of IPPN
Deirdre qualified as a Primary Teacher from Froebel College, Blackrock, Dublin in 1993 and completed a Post Graduate in Trinity College in 1994. Deirdre’s experience during her 7 years of teaching in a special school setting in Scoil Eoin, Crumlin, Dublin encouraged her to complete her Masters in Educational Leadership.
Deirdre has taught in both urban and rural locations and has experienced teaching in varying educational contexts. She was appointed as teaching Principal in St Michael’s NS in 2004, a 5 teacher rural school located in south County Sligo.
Deirdre is an active member of IPPN. She has served as a National Committee Representative for Sligo for many years, is a trained CSL mentor and is currently facilitating Group Mentoring.
Her commitment to and belief in small schools, recognition of the central role these schools play in rural communities and the significance of supporting principals in these schools will be central to her role as a member of the Board of Directors.
Deirdre was elected IPPN President-elect in June 2023 and commenced her two year presidency in September 2025.
Ultan Mac Mathúna | Chairperson of ESCI (Education Support Centres Ireland)
Ultan Mac Mathúna is the Director of Dublin West Education Support Centre and the Chairperson of ESCI (Education Support Centres Ireland). Ultan, a Dublin man, graduated from St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra and worked in a wide variety of schools. He served as principal to two different schools over 23 years.
Having been awarded two separate master’s degrees in leadership, Ultan has spent much of his career engaged in capacity development.
He is a keen sportsman and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Melanie Lynch | Communicator, Educator, and Social Innovator
Melanie Lynch is an award-winning Irish communicator, educator, and social innovator with almost 20 years’ experience in the arts, education, and advertising sectors. Her work has brought her from the United Nations to the Borneo and Amazon rainforests.
In 2016, Melanie founded Herstory to create the change she wanted to see in the world. A dreamer who delivers, she spearheaded Herstory on RTÉ - the first comprehensive women’s storytelling platform on Ireland’s national broadcaster; Blazing a Trail - the first women’s exhibition to tour the Irish Embassy network worldwide; and the successful campaign to make Brigid’s Day Ireland’s first national holiday named in honour of a woman.
In 2022, she curated the Peace Heroines exhibition and education programme with the National Museums of Northern Ireland to tell the story of the pivotal role that women played in the Northern Ireland peace process. The exhibition has been translated into English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. Now it is touring simultaneously in Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America through the Irish Embassy network.
In 2024, Melanie started Our Story, a new impact-driven communications consultancy in service to people and planet. She is a Story Consultant and Executive Producer of ÉIRU, a new animation co-created with Cartoon Saloon. She also co-created the ÉIRU education programme, working with the social pedagogy methodology to develop an immersive and holistic series of workshops for schools.
