Cork Villages Presented with Anti-Litter Challenge Awards

DKANE 20th July 2026
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Members of Cork County Council, Ballymore Community Association, Béal Átha na Ghaorthaidh, Saleen and Districts residents Associations and Rostellan Development Association at the 2026 Southern Divisional Anti Litter Campaign Awards.
The Southern Divisional Anti-Litter Challenge Awards, hosted by Cork County Council, recognize local communities and volunteers for their unwavering dedication to keeping towns and villages clean, green, and litter-free.
All recipients are nominees for the county final where they will compete with western northern divisions
Pic. Darragh Kane

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Representatives from the winning communities across West Cork pictured with Angela McAllen, Assistant Chief Executive West, Cllr Daniel Sexton, Chairperson of the Western Division, fellow members of the Western Divisional Committee and elected members following the presentation of the Anti-Litter Challenge 2026 awards in Clonakilty.
Photo: Anna Groniecka

The cleanest villages in the county were honoured at award ceremonies following another successful Anti-Litter Challenge competition organised by Cork County Council. The long-running initiative continues to enjoy strong support from local communities across the county, with 65 villages participating in the 2026 competition across the Council’s three Divisions. Awards were presented at ceremonies held in County Hall, Clonakilty and Mallow on Monday, 20th July 2026.

The initiative was established in the mid-1990s to support local communities in their efforts to deal with litter and affords Cork County Council an opportunity to work with voluntary groups for a common purpose. Throughout its history, the Anti-Litter Challenge has been defined by high standards and competitiveness between communities, and these high standards were maintained once again in 2026.

This was especially true of the villages section of the competition this year. Judges detected no litter in certain villages during the six weeks of judging in April and May.

In some divisions, nothing could separate the villages at the top of the table and two villages ended up sharing the top spot. The result of this outstanding voluntary work is that our villages look cleaner and more attractive for residents and visitors alike.

On Monday, 20^th July, the awards were presented simultaneously in Mallow for the North Cork Division, County Hall for the Southern Division and Clonakilty for the Western Division. Large and small villages were presented with their awards and recognised for their important work. Twenty-one villages also shared prize money of over €16,000.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Bernard Moynihan said, “The success of this competition is a testament to the dedication of community groups and volunteers who work tirelessly to keep their villages clean and welcoming. With 65 villages taking part this year, I commend all participants and congratulate the winners on their achievement. We look forward to building on this success and welcoming even more communities to the challenge next year.”

See below for a full list of winners:
 

 
Cork County Council congratulates the winners as well as all 65 villages across the county who took part in 2026. These awards are a way of recognising the efforts of communities whose dedication has helped to create cleaner, more attractive places to live, work and visit.

ENDS