Clean Coasts’ Love Your Coast Photography Awards 2019 took place in Dublin
During the 10th anniversary of this competition, the best coastal shots of Ireland have been awarded a prize fund of €5,000
24 October 2019 | Last night, Clean Coasts’ Love Your Coast Photography Awards were held in The Morrison Hotel, Dublin 1, where Minister Eoghan Murphy, Department of Housing Planning and Local Government presented the prizes to the winning photographers. The night awards also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Love Your Coast competition and was MCed by Michael John O’Mahony, Director of the Environmental Education Unit, An Taisce.
The competition had a prize fund of €5,000 for the amateur photographers competing in five categories: Coastal Heritage, Coastal Landscape, People & the Coast, Wildlife & the Coast and Underwater.
Ireland has some of the most spectacular and diverse coastline in the world. For the past 10 years, the ‘Love Your Coast’ competition has been about capturing the essence of the Irish coastline, its beauty and its diverse character.
Working with communities on the ground, Clean Coasts mission is also to help foster pride in our coastline and wants to see this reflected in the entries. This year, Clean Coasts main clean-up initiatives in June and September, reported record-breaking numbers, with approximately 12,000 volunteers joining us all over the country, plus the increasing number of communities and individuals who work with us throughout the year to help protect the coastal areas and keep them beautiful. This shows a sense of pride in the Irish coastline that has been reflected in the Love Your Coast entries for the past 10 years.
This year, Clean Coasts received over 1,000 entries and the 50 best shots were shortlisted for the final exhibition displayed as part of last night’s awards in Printworks, Morrison Hotel, Dublin. The winning images showcased the stunning coastlines of Wicklow, Cork, Donegal, Waterford, Mayo, Meath Clare, Galway and Dublin. Martina Gardiner, with her Malin Head Storm, was the overall winner 2019s Love Your Coast Photography image. Pat Carey with ‘The Bull Wall’, Clontarf Co., Dublin took home the title of Photograph of the Decade.
Clean Coasts was honoured to be joined at the event by Minister Eoghan Murphy, who commented: “I am proud to support the “Love Your Coast” Photography competition and the invaluable work of An Taisce and the Clean Coast team. The level of talent and artistry in the photographs displayed here this evening is outstanding. These photographs inspire and motivate us to value and protect the spectacular and unique beauty of the Irish Coast and our magnificent and diverse marine environment.
Sinead McCoy, Clean Coasts Manager said: “We are incredibly proud that our Love Your Coast photography competition is going 10 years with images celebrating all aspects of Irelands stunning coastline. The photography on display tonight and submitted over the past 10 years illustrating the vast character of our coastline from Fanad in Donegal to the Skelligs in Kerry, from dolphins to surfers and from families enjoying a day out at the beach to dramatic seascapes, these photographs truly captured the essence of the Irish Coastline”
Clean Coasts would like to wish huge congratulations to Martina Gardiner.
A gallery of the winning photographs can be found on www.cleancoasts.org
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WINNERS 2019
Coastal Heritage
1 John O Brien, Storm Bay, Arklow, Co. Wicklow
2 Gar Byrne, Shipwreck Baltimore, Baltimore, Co. Cork
3 John Bennett, Fastnet Sunrise, Fastnet Rock, Co. Cork
Coastal Landscape
1 Martina Gardiner, Malin Head Storm, Malin Head, Co. Donegal
2 Kieran Russell, Old hag and the stars, Copper Coast, Co. Waterford
3 Marc Jennings, Newport Sunset, Newport, Co. Mayo
People and the Coast
1 David Stanley, Happy Out, Laytown, Co. Meath
2 Todor Tilev, At the Edge at Cliffs of Moher, Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare
3 Tim Beck, Collecting, Oranmore, Co. Galway
Underwater
1 Alan Cranston, Baby Octopus, Culdaff, Co. Donegal
2 Mark N Thomas, Starfish Embrace, Little Killary, Co. Galway
3 Shazia Waheed, All Encompassing, Ardmore, Co. Waterford
Wildlife and the Coast
1 Patrick Carey, Stretching its Wings, Donabate, Co Dublin.
2 Christopher Howes, Always Time to Laugh, Brides Head, Co. Wicklow
3 Shazia Waheed, Jurassic Coast, Ballycotton, Co. Cork
The Judging Panel:
- Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government
- Failte Ireland
- Naoise Culhane, Professional Photographer
- Catherine Barrett, Bord Iscaigh na Mhara
- Mark Carmody, Professional Photographer
- Jim Wilson, Professional Photographer
- Declan McCarthy, Barefoot Wine