The ADAPT Research Ireland Centre secured two major wins at the 2025 Media Literacy Ireland (MLI) Awards, supported by Coimisiún na Meán.
Discuss AI, won Best General Media Literacy Initiative, with the jury commending its “inclusive, well-researched, and collaborative approach to AI literacy” and highlighting its “robust design, interdisciplinary methods, and meaningful stakeholder engagement.” Led by ADAPT’s Education and Public Engagement team Laura Grehan, Emma Clarke, Cara Greene, and Jelena Radaković Goodwin, the initiative brings together a broad network of researchers and community partners across Ireland and beyond to foster open, accessible dialogue about AI’s role in society.
Discuss AI also earned nominations in two additional categories: Best Community-Based Media Literacy Initiative for AI Literacy in the Classroom (supported by Google) and Best Media Literacy Initiative for Older People for its Age-Friendly AI programme.
Photo: (L-R) Aoife MacEvilly, Commissioner for Broadcasting and Video-on-Demand in Coimisiún na Meán, and ADAPT’s Laura Grehan, Emma Clarke, Cara Greene and Jelena Radaković Goodwin.
Adding to ADAPT’s success, Professor Aphra Kerr, from UCD’s School of Information and Communication Studies and Co-Principal Investigator at ADAPT, was honoured for her co-led project Algowatch, which received the award for Best Media Literacy Initiative for Young People.The judges said ‘Given the importance of the topics of algorithms, AI and disinformation in the current media landscape, the judges felt this was a particularly timely and relevant project. Judges also noted that this initiative stood out for its novelty, reach and depth.’
Algowatch is a two-year, engaged research project designed to help young people aged 13-17 understand the influence of AI and algorithms in digital environments. Through interactive games, quizzes, workshops, and multilingual educational materials (available in English, French, Portuguese, and Croatian) the initiative empowers youth to think critically about algorithmic systems.
The interactive game ‘Eunopia: Mission AI’ was created by the Irish partner and led by Aphra Kerr. The Irish team included Jean Finley (programmer and lead game designer), Faebitha Rahiman (narrative and story writer) and Yekta Kalantar-Hormozi (character design, UI) with support from Emma Clarke and Cara Greene from the ADAPT Education and Public Engagement team.
The project is co-led by Savoir Devenir (Paris), the Association for Communication and Media Culture-DKMK (Zagreb), and Iscte University Institute of Lisbon.
Photo: (L-R) Aoife MacEvilly, Commissioner for Broadcasting and Video-on-Demand in Coimisiún na Meán and Prof. Aphra Kerr, School of Information and Communication Studies, UCD, and ADAPT.
The MLI Awards, backed by Coimisiún na Meán, celebrate organisations and projects that advance media literacy, encouraging innovation, collaboration, and public engagement.
