MACE has once again teamed up with their Brand Ambassador Johnny Sexton to offer people in Kerry the opportunity to share in a prize-fund of €10,000 in a community initiative, whereby the public nominate their Unsung Hero in one of five specially selected categories.

They are looking for you to help shine a light on the people who go the extra mile to make a difference, but in many cases do not get the recognition they deserve or would never put themselves forward for an award.

MACE want people to nominate their unsung hero, and to tell them which award they think they should win and why.

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MACE Unsung Heroes Community Awards were first launched in 2020 and is again fronted by Johnny Sexton, who is delighted to be associated with this very special initiative.

“The MACE Unsung Heroes campaign is a fabulous initiative as it puts the power in the hands of the general public for them to nominate someone who they believe is truly special and has had a profound and positive impact on their community. We have had some wonderful nominees and winners over the years and I’m really looking forward to hearing about the thoughtful and generous acts by people in communities all around the country.”

There are five award categories, there will be two winners per category who will each receive a prize of €1,000.

The five categories are…

CHARITY AWARD – this award will be given to the hero who in the opinion of the judges has made a tremendous contribution to a charity, it may be a national or local cause; the only requirement is that there is a charity number associated with it.

ENVIRONMENT AWARD – this award will be given to the hero who has had made a significant positive impact to improving their local environment.

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY AWARD – this award will be given to the hero who in the opinion of the judges has made a difference to their local area through an initiative that focusses on inclusivity and diversity.

SPORTS, HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING AWARD – they are looking for heroes who have made a difference to their local community through sports or a health or well-being related initiative.

YOUTH AWARD – for 8–18-year-olds – this award will be given to the young hero who is making a difference in their community.

Entry to the awards is open from 7th November until 10th December and winners will be announced in January 2024.

Entry is on https://mace.ie/UNSUNG-HEROES/ and to enter MACE is asking people to nominate their local unsung hero and in less than 200 words tell them what they have done and why they deserve to win; they can upload an image/video to support their entry if they wish. There is no limit on the number of award categories that someone can be nominated.

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MACE has once again teamed up with Ireland out-half Johnny Sexton to offer people in Kerry the opportunity to share in a prize-fund of €10,000 in a community initiative, whereby the public nominate their Unsung Hero.

MACE is asking the people of Kerry to nominate that special someone who goes the extra mile to make a difference, so they get the recognition they deserve.

They want people to nominate their unsung hero, and to tell them which award they think their nominee should win and why.

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The individual Award Categories are:

• Charity Award
• Child & Youth Award
• Environment Award
• Sports, Health & Well-being Award
• MACE Store Team Award

The special overall MACE Community Award will single out someone from around Ireland who really goes over and above to give something back to their community.

Nominate that special person by logging onto www.mace.ie/unsung-heroes and tell them why they deserve to be recognised as an Unsung Hero. Closing date for entries is May 31. There is no limit on the number of award categories you can enter.

Each category winner will receive €1,000 while the overall special MACE Community Unsung Hero will receive an overall prize of €5,000.

This is the second time MACE have run this initiative. Last year, Limerick native Leona O’Callaghan was selected as the overall outstanding hero for her tireless work in raising awareness of violence against women. Leona was an outstanding recipient of the special overall MACE Community Award.

MACE Ambassador Johnny Sexton said; “I’m delighted to be a part of this exciting MACE initiative once again. This is a great way for communities to recognise that special person who always puts others ahead of themselves and I’m really looking forward to seeing the wide range of thoughtful and generous acts by people in communities all around the country. I am genuinely proud to be working with MACE in promoting this positive community initiative throughout towns and villages in Ireland.”