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Home  »  Initiatives  »  Awards  »  Specialist Awards  »

Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year






​Do you have what it takes to claim one of Ireland's top-3 annual challenge hillwalking awards? If so, we are delighted to offer you that chance. The Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year award is a unique outdoor sports competition designed exclusively for challenge hillwalkers. The award is open to all hillwalkers who successfully complete any of our single-day Irish hillwalking challenges listed on this page in 24 hours or less during the Sport Hillwalking season. To take part, challenge hillwalkers must log all of their chosen challenges' respective summits while on location using the Peakhunter app.

To make it onto the competition scoreboard, a participant must make the halfway cut in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships AND score at least 100 points from their single-day challenge completions before the season ends on 31st August. All challenge point-score values are listed in the tables below.

This competition is as much about a hillwalker's real navigational skills as it is about their fitness. If a hillwalker is entirely dependent on electronic devices and / or smartphone apps for navigation, they aren't actually doing any navigating themselves and should not be taking part in this competition. For this reason, we require photographic evidence to demonstrate the absolute minimum level of competency (i.e. that they are at least carrying a relevant hardcopy map and a traditional magnetic compass on the day of their challenge).

The Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year award is the highest level of recognition in this specialist Sport Hillwalking discipline. A dedicated award is also available in each of the other two disciplines: Highpointeering and mountaineering.

To compete in this competition, challenge hillwalkers must also take part in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships - the official national-level multi-discipline Sport Hillwalking competition open to all challenge hillwalkers, mountaineers and Highpointeers in Ireland. 
 

Take part


​In order to take part, hillwalkers must submit a Sport Hillwalking Entry Form AND score at least 50 points in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships before the halfway cut-off point of the Sport Hillwalking season (11:59pm on 30th June). New for 2025: Championship participants who make the halfway cut must also complete at least 100 points worth of single-day Irish hillwalking challenges to appear on the Challenge Hillwalker of the Year scoreboard before the end of the season (11:59pm on 31st August). We will update the scoreboard manually during July and August based on the Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form (Single-Day Challenges) we receive. So far, we have set up 32 different Irish hillwalking challenges for this competition. To score points, registered participants must also log all of the challenge's required locations using the Peakhunter app within a single-day during the Sport Hillwalking season between 1st May and 31st August AND submit an online Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form (Single-Day Challenges) within 7 days of completion (or within 7 days of receiving the form's link, if later).

​
Instructions
​
  1. Take part in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships. Click here for step-by-step instructions for the Championships.
  2. You must complete and submit a Sport Hillwalking Entry Form AND sign up for Round 1 (May) and / or Round 2 (June) of the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships.
  3. Undertake your chosen single-day Irish hillwalking challenge(s). Log all required summits on the day of each challenge while present at their respective locations using the Peakhunter app. You can only earn points for a hillwalking challenge if you complete it in less than 24 hours during the Sport Hillwalking season.
  4. All required summits have been added to the Peakhunter database as virtual markers. Please be aware that multiple markers for the same summit may exist on Peakhunter. Only one marker carries competition points for each summit, so please check your logbook in the Peakhunter app before you leave its location to ensure that you have logged the correct one. If you log the correct one, an orange "C" icon will appear in the logbook. If this does not appear, you need to seek out the correct one, otherwise the points will not be added and you will fail the challenge. It is your own responsibility to make sure that you log the correct marker before you leave each summit. Please note that some Peakhunter marker names may not match summit names on published hardcopy maps. It is therefore important to compare these as part of your pre-walk planning. We may accept the accidental logging of a duplicate marker but we will not accept the omission of any required summits.
  5. Submit your logs to Peakhunter as soon as possible to avoid accidentally loosing any of your hard-earned points. You need to do this in the logbook section on the Peakhunter smartphone app. You may be able to do this on location if you have sufficient mobile network signal. If not, you can wait until you get back to civilisation.
  6. If you successfully make the halfway cut in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships by submitting a Sport Hillwalking Entry Form AND scoring at least 50 points by 11:59pm on 30th June, you must also complete at least 100 points worth of single-day Irish hillwalking challenge completions to appear on the Challenge Hillwalker of the Year scoreboard before the end of the season (11:59pm on 31st August). Your score for any single-day Irish hillwalking challenges you complete during season will be manually added to the scoreboard by us during July and August.
  7. For a single-day challenge completion, you will score the respective weighted point-score for each summit featured in that hillwalking challenge. For example, a single-day completion of the Mourne Mountains Challenge would earn you 121 points. An incomplete challenge will earn you no points. A challenge completed in more than 24 hours will earn you no points.
  8. To claim points for completing a hillwalking challenge in a single day, you must provide the absolute minimum evidence to prove that you are a competent challenge hillwalker. The evidence we require is a photo you have taken at one of the challenge's summits which shows your own hand holding a traditional magnetic compass and a hardcopy of a map recommended on the respective single-day Irish hillwalking challenge's page on The Ireland Walking Guide website. Under no circumstances will we accept electronic compasses and / or digital mapping. We only need to see the map's front cover with its title clearly readable so please fold the map for the photo. The image must be attached to one of your Peakhunter logs. You will be asked to supply the URL of this log entry when you submit the Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form (Single-Day Challenges). This image is the minimum evidence of hillwalking competence we require, and points will not be issued without it.
  9. To add points to your Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year competition score, you must complete and submit the online Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form (Single-Day Challenges). We strongly encourage you to submit this within one week of completing each challenge. A prompt form submission will speed up the admin side of things at our end (i.e. verifying completions, updating the leaderboard, issuing Certificates of Completion, etc). We reserve the right to disregard forms received more than a week after completion day.
  10. The Sport Hillwalking season generally starts on 1st May and ends on 31st August each year. During this four-month-long competition, you are permitted to count each hillwalking challenge once.
  11. Each summit visit can only be counted towards one hillwalking challenge. This means that you cannot claim points for completing two or more challenges simultaneously (e.g. the Mourne Mountains Challenge and the Mourne 700s Challenge). Each challenge must be undertaken separately.
  12. You can keep track of all participants' scores throughout the competition on a scoreboard which we will be manaully updating during July and August based on the Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form (Single-Day Challenges) submissions we receive..
  13. You are also welcome to take part in the Irish Highpointeer of the Year and Irish Mountaineer of the Year competitions as well as the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships.
  14. We aim to announce all competition results by mid-September.
​ 
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The Challenges


Sport Hillwalkers can score points in the Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year competition by completing any of the single-day challenges listed on this page in 24 hours or less during the Sport Hillwalking season. At present, 32 challenges have been set up for this competition. Other challenges are currently under development...
 

Mountain Challenges


​There are 23 range-specific mountain challenges in Ireland. These are all listed in the table below. Each of these local summit list challenges features at least 3 proper mountain summits including at least 2 Slievemores. Click on a challenge's name in the table to find out more about it over on The Ireland Walking Guide website.
Challenge name Locations
required
Competition
score
The Achill Mountains Challenge
3 summits 32 points
The Bens Mountain Challenge
9 summits 78 points
The Blackstairs Mountains Challenge
3 summits 33 points
The Bluestack Mountains Challenge
5 summits 41 points
The Caha Mountains Challenge
4 summits 36 points
The Comeragh Mountains Challenge
6 summits 54 points
The Derrynasaggart Mountains Challenge
4 summits 37 points
The Derryveagh Mountains Challenge
4 summits 45 points
The Dingle Mountains Challenge
13 summits 121 points
The Dunkerron Mountains Northeast Challenge
6 summits 56 points
The Dunkerron Mountains Southwest Challenge
12 summits 96 points
The Galtee Mountains Challenge
10 summits 90 points
The Knockmealdown Mountains Challenge
7 summits 61 points
The Macgillycuddy's Reeks Mountain Challenge
15 summits 151 points
The Mangerton Mountains Challenge
6 summits 53 points
The Maumturk Mountains Challenge
8 summits 70 points
The Mourne Mountains Challenge
14 summits 121 points
The Mweelrea Mountains Challenge
5 summits 49 points
The Nephins Mountain Challenge
7 summits 76 points
The Shehy Mountains Challenge
4 summits 34 points
The Sperrin Mountains Challenge
5 summits 44 points
The Wicklow Mountains North Challenge
15 summits 126 points
The Wicklow Mountains South Challenge
13 summits 110 points

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700s Challenges


​There are 9 range-specific 700s challenges in Ireland. These are all listed in the table below. Each of these local summit list challenges features at least 3 proper mountain summits which are all 700m+ high and include at least 2 Slievemores. Click on a challenge's name in the table to find out more about it over on The Ireland Walking Guide website.
Challenge name Locations
required
Competition
score
The Comeragh 700s Challenge
4 summits 40 points
The Dingle 700s Challenge
8 summits 81 points
The Dunkerron 700s Challenge
4 summits 44 points
The Galtee 700s Challenge
6 summits 61 points
The Macgillycuddy's Reeks 700s Challenge
14 summits 144 points
The Mourne 700s Challenge
6 summits 62 points
The Mweelrea 700s Challenge
5 summits 49 points
The Nephins 700s Challenge
3 summits 40 points
The Wicklow 700s Challenge
14 summits 132 points

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Winner selection

​   
  • A single-day challenge completion will be verified on Peakhunter after we receive a Hillwalking Challenge Completion Form.
  • Each challenge hillwalker's total score will be calculated based on all the Hillwalking Challenge Completion Forms we receive.
  • The highest-scoring man and woman at the end of the Sport Hillwalking season will each earn the title of Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year and will each receive a Gold award.
  • In the event of a draw, the winner will be top-scoring individual with the highest average score across all of their completed challenges. If this still produces a draw, the winner will be the top-scoring individual who completed their challenges in the shortest time (i.e. the time between the first summit they logged in their first completed challenge of the season to the last summit logged in their last completed challenge of the season.
  • The 2nd and 3rd highest-scoring men and women at the end of the Sport Hillwalking season will each receive a Silver and Bronze award respectively. 
  • The award winners will be announced in early September.

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Previous results



  • The 2025 Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year competition will take place between 1st May and 31st August.
  • The results will be announced in September 2025.
​

​

2024

Placing Name Score Award
1st Woman ELENAM 200 points from 2 challenges GOLD
1st Man BENDOHERTY 151 points from 1 challenge GOLD
2nd Man N/A - -
2nd Woman N/A - -
3rd Man N/A - -
3rd Woman N/A - -





2023

Placing Name Score Award
1st Man PADDYOB 851 points from 12 challenges GOLD
1st Woman CAROLYN HIKE ON 596 points from 12 challenges GOLD
2nd Man DILLON LYNCH 212 points from 2 challenges SILVER
3rd Man BENDOHERTY 84 points from 2 challenges BRONZE
2nd Woman NAN 59 points from 1 challenge SILVER
3rd Woman N/A - -




2022

Placing Name Score Award
=1st Man DILLON LYNCH 140 points from 17 challenges GOLD
=1st Man PADDYOB 140 points from 17 challenges GOLD
3rd Man MOUNTAIN MIKE 121 points from 17 challenges BRONZE
1st Woman IDAWICKLOW 93 points from 10 challenges GOLD
2nd Woman OLIVIA JOYCE 23 points from 4 challenges SILVER
3rd Woman JOSEPHINE O'BRIEN 20 points from 4 challenges BRONZE




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Irish Challenge Hillwalker of the Year - A Sport Hillwalking award for the specialist discipline of challenge hillwalking in Ireland





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If you are planning to visit any of the locations on the Irish High Point lists, please be aware that Highpointeering, rambling, hill-walking, hiking and mountaineering are risk activities. High Point Ireland and Donard Media (the website's publisher) accept no responsibility for any injury, loss or inconvenience sustained by anyone using this website. Personal safety is entirely the participant's own responsibility.
The inclusion of locations on the official list of Ireland's major geographical High Points is based entirely on each location's ability to meet the necessary criteria for at least one of the eight primary sub-lists contained on this website. It should not be assumed that access is permitted to any of the High Point locations on the list. High Point Ireland and Donard Media recommend that anyone planning to visit any of the High Point locations on the list should check for potential access restrictions and to request permission from the relevant landowner(s) in advance.

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