The National Lottery has officially launched this year’s National Lottery Good Causes Awards, which honours the inspiring work and achievements of projects, clubs and individuals all over Ireland, who – with the help of National Lottery Good Causes funding – have had an extraordinary impact on their communities.

Individuals, community projects and organisations across Galway who received Good Causes funding between 2020 and 2024 are eligible to apply. The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 18, in Killashee House Hotel in Naas, Co. Kildare.

Last year’s winner of the Good Cause of the Year Award was Galway charity Hand in Hand – and its Director of Services Mark Dwyer was at the launch to reveal what a difference it had made for them.

“We are incredibly grateful to have received the overall Good Cause of the Year award 2024. It has been hugely significant for Hand in Hand with the funding we received enabling us to continue providing essential practical and emotional support services to families throughout Ireland affected by a childhood cancer diagnosis,” he said.

“The profile of the charity and the services we provide has increased significantly and, most importantly, more families are now aware of the supports we can offer them. We strongly encourage any organisation eligible to enter the Good Cause Awards 2025, to apply!”

The 2025 Good Causes Awards will have seven categories – sport; health and wellbeing; arts & culture; heritage; community; youth, and the Irish language.

Each category winner will receive €10,000 while the overall Good Cause of the Year will receive an additional €25,000.

A special category, ‘Hero of the Year’, will also be announced at the Awards final, in recognition of outstanding work done by an individual within an organisation and will receive a prize of €5,000.

Marking this seventh year of the Awards, National Lottery CEO, Cian Murphy, said that once again, it is a reminder of ‘the extraordinary positive impact that the people who drive Ireland’s Good Causes have in shaping a brighter and more inclusive future for all’.

Minister Jack Chambers, a strong advocate of the Awards, commended the work being carried out by Good Causes in communities all over the country.

“As Minister and as a public representative, I see first-hand the enormous value this initiative has generated across our towns and cities, on our sports fields, in our community halls, in the arts, and in supporting people in our communities for the past four decades,” he said.

“It has been an honour to engage with some of the awardees and to learn about their life changing work they are doing in communities every single day,” he added.

Applications for the Awards are now open and beneficiaries can enter and check eligibility at https://www.lottery.ie/goodcausesawards.

Pictured at the launch of the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2025 at the Museum of Literature Ireland are Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery & Reform Jack Chambers; CEO of the National Lottery Cian Murphy; Head of Corporate Affairs of the National Lottery Jennifer Crowe, and Director of Services of the Good Cause of the Year 2024 Hand in Hand CLG Mark Dwyer.