2026 Macra National Leadership Awards - Additional Information

The Leadership Awards recognise and reward outstanding leaders in the organisation. The 2026 awards will be judged on the period of August 2025 to July 2026 inclusive.

Application form: https://form.jotform.com/260353548312352

Key Dates for the National Leadership Awards 2026

Ø Launch and Application Opening Date: Monday 11^th May 2026

Ø Application Closing Date: Wednesday 1^st July 2026

Ø Shortlisting Applications by 10^th July 2026

Ø Interviews: 13^th to 31^st July 2026

Ø Problem Solving and Final Interview: 3^rd October 2026 in Athlone Springs Hotel

Ø Awards Ceremony: 3^rd October 2026 in Athlone Springs Hotel

Stage 1: Application/Nomination

Members can apply for a leadership award themselves, or they can be nominated by another member. The application form will list six attributes that, through our consultations, we consider to be important for leaders within the organisation to have:

· Mentorship

· Encouragement

· Positive Attitude

· Empathy

· Respect

· Decisiveness

The applicant/nominator will have to give examples of three of the above attributes demonstrated within the Macra community. This form will be worth 30% of the overall mark for the competition.

Stage 2: Verification

The TDOs will verify the application forms to ensure that the content is truthful. They will be marked according to a pre-determined marking scheme. Once they have been marked, the TDOs will hold an alignment meeting to ensure impartiality. Candidates with 50% or above will progress to the interview stage. Unsuccessful candidates will receive feedback outlining areas for improvement.

Stage 3: Interview

The current President and one TDO will conduct individual interviews with each candidate online via Zoom. The interview will be worth 20% of the overall mark. The interviews will be an opportunity for the candidates to elaborate on the information in the application form. Each candidate will be asked the same questions, and the interview will be marked according to a marking scheme. Successful candidates will progress to the final and unsuccessful candidates will receive feedback from the judges.

Stage 4: Problem Solving Session

The finalists will take part in a problem-solving session which will begin with an ice-breaker. In this session, finalists will have to showcase their leadership and teamwork skills. The session will take place on Saturday 3^rd October in the Athlone Springs Hotel. This will be worth 30% of the overall mark. Again, it will be marked with a pre-determined marking scheme.

Step 5: Final Interview

The final part of the competition is a short interview with the judges which will take place after the problem-solving session. This short interview is to help facilitate the candidate to discuss any aspects of the problem-solving session that they feel will help further highlight their leadership and teamwork skills. It will also allow the judges to clarify aspects of the candidate’s participation in the problem-solving session earlier in the day. This is worth 20% of the overall marks.

Step 6: Awards Ceremony

All finalists will receive a President’s medal, and there will be three overall winners. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 3^rd October 2026, in the Athlone Springs Hotel.

Prizes

· Top Three Winners will receive €1000 cash prize each.

· Finalists will be awarded a President’s Medal.

· Finalists will be offered a Mentoring Session/Workshop with Macra Agricultural Skillnet.

Overall Marking Scheme

	Marks Available	Award Stage	Details
1.	30 marks	Application Form	Examples given in the application form
2.	20 marks	Interview	Online interview with the President and a TDO
3.	30 marks	Problem Solving	Group session
4.	20 marks	Final Interview	Short interview following problem solving session

*This is the only marking scheme that will be made available to candidates.

Eligibility

· Previous Macra National Leadership Awards Winners, Board Members, Presidents & Vice-Presidents (past or present) are not eligible to apply.

· Candidates may not enter more than one of the following competitions in any given year: Macra National Leadership Awards, Macra Volunteer of the Year Awards, Best New Member Competition. Candidates who have entered either the Macra National Leadership Awards will automatically be removed from the Best New Member competition and the Volunteer of the Year Award.

Disclaimer: The competition above is subject to change at any given time, of which candidates will be notified by email.

With thanks to Macra Agricultural Skillnet for their generous sponsorship of the 2026 Macra National Leadership Awards.