Cork villages littered with awards
65 villages competed in the 2026 Anti-Litter Challenge competition across Cork County Council's three divisions.
In the Large Villages category, Castletownroche took the North Cork award, Saleen and Béal Átha an Ghaorthaidh were joint winners in South Cork and Ballinspittle took first place in West Cork while Knocknagree (North Cork), Ré na nDoirí and Rylane/Seiscne (South Cork) were top in Small Villages.
In West Cork in the Small Villages category, there was a three-way tie between Drinagh, Lislevane and Newcestown for first spot!
The best improvers were Castletownroche in North Cork, Killeagh in South Cork and Timoleague in West Cork.
Organised by Cork County Council, the long-running initiative continues to enjoy strong support from local communities across the county. Awards were presented at ceremonies held in County Hall, Clonakilty and Mallow on Monday 20 July.
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 or even three villages ended up sharing the top spot.
The result of this outstanding voluntary work is that villages look cleaner and more attractive for residents and visitors alike.
On Monday 20 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.
The 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.”
Cork County Council congratulated 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.