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Galway Races’ Ladies Day is more than a style parade: the Ella & Jo best-dressed competition awards €10,000 and has repeatedly elevated winners into national prominence. Past victors have used the platform to launch careers, fight online abuse and reshape public stories about identity and opportunity.
Why the contest still matters
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Held on the Thursday of Race Week at Ballybrit, Ladies Day attracts intense attention across Ireland’s fashion and social pages. The prize is a headline grabber, but the contest also offers visibility that can change a participant’s trajectory.
The judging panel for this year is led by Galway-born stylist Mandy Maher, who has served as head judge for four consecutive years. She will be joined on the day by TV presenter Laura Fox and Charlene Flanagan, co-founder of Ella & Jo.
How judges decide — and common misconceptions
Judges do not simply reward the most expensive outfit. Instead, they look for cohesion, confidence and attention to detail — from shoes to nails.
- Hat matters: The relationship between a dress and its headpiece is crucial. A busy dress with a simple hat, or a simple dress with a dramatic hat, works — but imbalance often costs contenders a place on the shortlist.
- Presence and ownership count. Judges notice how a woman carries the look, not just what she is wearing.
- Stories behind outfits now carry weight; renting, tailoring or upcycling can be an advantage rather than a drawback.
Mandy Maher and the panel will walk through the entire racecourse enclosure to find contenders, ensuring entrants across the grounds have a chance to be seen. As former winner Lisa McGowan put it when she crowned the 2025 champion: “She didn’t just wear the look, she owned it.”
Practical tips from the judges
One practical piece of advice is simple: test the full outfit well before race day. That includes hat pins, shoes and accessories — the racecourse wind is not the place to discover a hat that tips forward.
Renting or altering garments is increasingly common and admired. Judges often ask about provenance and craftsmanship, so having a clear narrative about your look can make a difference.
Memorable past winners
2025 — Megan Cunniss
Megan Cunniss, a 29-year-old medical secretary from Galway, took the 2025 title in a monochrome outfit she designed and made herself, finished with a wide-brimmed hat by Millinery by Mairead of Newry. She has also been recognised at Cheltenham Ladies Day, making her one of the few women to win best dressed at two major race meetings in Ireland and Britain — and she made both winning looks herself.
2024 — Davinia Knight
Davinia Knight from Portarlington, Co. Laois, won the 2024 competition in an elegant black ensemble completed with a hat by Rachel Leech of Jennifer’s Hat Emporium. Her dress was rented from Guna Rentals Ireland. She left Ballybrit with the €10,000 prize, while another attendee in bespoke couture beside her did not make the cut.
2019 — Pamela Uba
Pamela Uba, born in South Africa to Nigerian parents and who arrived in Ireland as an asylum seeker at age eight, won best dressed at Galway in 2019 after spending ten years in direct provision. She later became Miss Ireland in 2021, the first Black woman to hold that title, and has said the Galway recognition helped broaden her ambitions.
2016 — Lisa McGowan
Lisa McGowan was a relatively unknown blogger when she won the 2016 prize. The victory attracted a wave of online abuse; she publicly challenged the trolling and took legal steps to identify alleged defamers. McGowan later built a successful business and returned to Ballybrit in 2025 as a judge.
The Ella & Jo Best Dressed Competition on Ladies Day at Galway Races 2026 will take place on Thursday, 30 July. The best-dressed prize remains €10,000.
