The winners in this year's Trinity College Schools' History Prize, in association with The Irish Times, are celebrating.

The gold medal this year in the senior category goes to Erik Spindler, a student at St Andrew's College in Blackrock, Co Dublin.

His winning essay was entitled The importance of the Potsdam Conference in signalling the end of East Prussia. His history teacher at St Andrew's College is Georgina Fitzpatrick.

The gold medal in the middle category goes to Alexandra College in Dublin for the winning essay, entitled The Dublin Laundry Company, a successful industrial enterprise, written by Michelle D'Arcy. Her history teacher is Anne O'Connor.

The gold medallist in the junior category is Emer Delaney, a student at Mount Anville Secondary School, Dublin, for her essay In the long run it's the tunes that matter: the life and music of A J Potter. Emer's teacher is Sister Joan Hutchinson.

The competition, which began eight years ago, attracted entries from schools all around the State. The judges were "pleasantly surprised at the academic standard" and also by the variety of entries, which ranged from fashion of the Byzantine era to the impact of the French Revolution on Ireland.