National Ploughing Championships

Engineers Ireland at the National Ploughing Championships 2026

Engineers Ireland made a return to the National Ploughing Championships 2026 with a line-up of interactive exhibits showcasing engineering in action. Our theme, #EngineeringTheFuture, was designed to inspire young people to discover the possibilities of a career in engineering by making engineering exciting, engaging and accessible.

Across the marquee, visitors followed one connected story and explored how engineers use creativity, science and technology to understand the world around us, and design solutions that benefit people and the planet.

Photo Gallery

National Ploughing Championships 2026

Browse our photo gallery from this year’s National Ploughing Championships. Can you spot yourself in the crowd?

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INTERACTIVE EXHIBIT

Powering the Future

Engineers are at the heart of how we generate, manage and use energy. Across 13 interactive gadgets, visitors at the 2026 National Ploughing Championships explored how energy underpins our everyday lives and how engineers are developing innovative solutions to power a more sustainable future. Become human heat map! Our thermal camera revealed the invisible world of infrared energy. Visitors of all ages got involved by cranking up a generator, designing a own wind turbine and exploring how electricity connects to the grid in this interactive and immersive exhibit from Glasgow Science Centre.

Watch our 2026 NPC videos

Robotics

Bionic Buddies

Engineers are transforming how intelligent machines work alongside people. In this area, visitors discovered how robotics engineers combine engineering, technology and creativity to develop machines that can interact, respond and perform complex tasks. This year, we brought Harvey, an interactive humanoid robot, and Phi-Do, our robot dog. Programmed by the COMAND research team at the Faculty of Engineering & Technology in the Technological University of the Shannon, Harvey interacted with visitors and responded to voice commands and perform a range of tasks. These robots shared a glimpse into how robotics engineering is helping to make workplaces safer, more efficient and more productive.

View our Instagram Highlights

Nature-based Solutions

Nature Engineers from STEPS

Engineers are designing solutions inspired by nature to help protect our environment and create more sustainable communities. At the 2026 National Ploughing Championships, STEPS, our education outreach programme, introduced Nature Engineers, a new flagship project bringing nature-based engineering challenges to primary school children. Visitors explored how engineers work with natural systems to address real-world challenges and experienced a demonstration of sustainable urban drainage systems.

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COMPETITIONS, PRIZES AND MORE

Mark the Science Guy

Mark the Science Guy hosted fun competitions throughout the day with great prizes up for grabs including a drone, a cyborg hand, a tech kit - and as always, lots of goodies and Engineers Ireland merch!

Watch our Ireland AM Session