Transition Times: More than 14,500 students have been competing in the Form and Fusion awards. Louise Holden reports

Nuclear holocaust, Gothic horror, the attraction of evil and the modern dystopia were among the themes at this year's Leinster heat of the Coca-Cola Form and Fusion Design Awards. Mercy College in Coolock, Dublin, convulsed to the throb of eerie emo-core, pounding drum and bass and thrash metal. Light-hearted themes were few and far between: a dark and twisted humour permeated the event as students faced down their demons on the catwalk.

This is the eighth year of the Form and Fusion awards, one of Ireland's largest school competitions. Four regional finals took place in January and February, and now the finalists are preparing to compete at the Point on May 13th.

This is not a competition for ready-to-wear collections. As an indication of what Form and Fusion is all about, this year's head judge is a sculptor rather than a fashion guru. "We're looking for originality, iconoclasm, exciting ideas and innovative use of materials," says Alex Pentek, who has spent two months travelling the country and viewing hundreds of catwalk creations. "We're certainly not looking for the high-street spring collection. This is more about art than fashion."

Art is just the start. Form and Fusion participants have to choreograph a 60-second set piece with up to four performers. They have to create their costumes from recycled material and justify the use of every button and belt for the judges. Each costume must be accompanied by a written explanation of its creative concept. Those that have emerged say a lot about the students' concerns.

"There are a number of recurring themes in this year's competition," says Pentek. "The film Super Size Me has got a lot of students thinking about health and nutrition. Childhood obesity is a big concept this year. The series Nip/Tuck has also had an impact. Many of the students are creating costumes based on the notion of the quest for perfection through surgery. Smoking and drinking, the environment and peer pressure are also coming up again and again."

At the Leinster heats the environment was a big issue, with the nuclear threat apparently weighing on the minds of many students. Brides were also in abundance, although most were bound to Gothic towers, dressed in black or daubed with blood. How do the judges hope to choose between so many similar themes? "The judging criteria are varied but the key for us is innovation," says Pentek, who will judge the heat alongside Fiona Fearon, who teaches theatre at Dundalk Institute of Technology, and Lucina Russell, arts officer at Kildare County Council.

"The objective of the awards is to unleash the creativity of the students. We're looking for the best fusion of ideas, materials, techniques and talent. Naturally, the same themes will recur, because these students share similar experiences. We're looking for original expression of these themes."

The awards, which began seven years ago with just six costumes in a classroom, were the brainchild of Aidine O'Reilly, an art teacher who decided to add an extra dimension to transition year by asking her students to create a costume from waste materials.

Having witnessed their enthusiasm, she extended the programme to nine schools the following year. This year more than 350 entered the competition, with more than 14,500 students and 800 teachers participating in the creation of 2,441 designs, of which 794 were entered for regional finals.

The contest has grown so large that this year a senior event producer has been appointed - Dyane Hanrahan, a former manager of Corcadorca theatre company - to oversee the heats and finals.

"This competition is just getting bigger and bigger, but we are determined not to move from the original education values that Form and Fusion embodies," she says.

"These are inclusion, teamwork and excellence in design. This learning experience translates to all design, whether it's fashion, art, architecture or any venture that involves working in a team to take a concept from the drawing board to the finished article."

Alex Pentek adds: "Some of the costumes I've seen in the last two months have really grabbed my attention. They have a larger significance than this competition, as they give us a glimpse of what Ireland's most creative students are capable of. These are the Irish designers, sculptors, artists, set builders and fashion designers of the future. It's a very exciting prospect."

To take part in next year's Form and Fusion Design Awards visit www.cocacolaformandfusion.com