Four lucky students will soon be on their way on educational scholarships to Japan, Mexico, the United States and Ghana as a result of the scholarship competition run by Education & Living EILEducational and Cultural Travel.

They are Michael Lynch of Presentation Brothers College, Cork, who goes to Japan for five weeks; Susannah McAleese of Trinity College, Dublin, who has won the four-week Mexican scholarship; Michael O'Regan of St Mary's CBS, Tralee, Co Kerry, who will visit Washington DC and the Future World Leaders' Summit in July; and Eoin McGrath of De La Salle College, Waterford, who is off to Ghana for four weeks.

Some 20 essays were shortlisted in the national competition, which was open to students between 16 and 20 years. Each of the 20 was interviewed before making the final selection