Get snapping around Mayo for Clean Coasts’ photography competition

Clean Coasts’ 12th annual Love Your Coast photography competition opens for entries from 6 p.m. this evening.

Capture the uniqueness of our coastal communities, environments or waterways between now and August 30 next, which is the closing date for submission of images.

Last year’s winning image for the Coastal Landscape category was 'Sea Cave at Downpatrick Head' and was submitted by Mick Hunt. It was taken at Downpatrick Head in Ballycastle.

With some of the most spectacular coastlines in the world, make sure you bring your camera as you explore the Mayo coast this summer and capture its beauty.

There is a prize fund of €5,000 up for grabs across five categories: Coastal Heritage, Coastal Landscape, People & the Coast, Wildlife & the Coast and a new category, Creativity and the Coast.

The competition receives thousands of entries that fit happily into the existing categories but pictures that transcend categories or labels and are simply stunning pieces of art in their own right are also received – which is the reason for the new category, giving creatives a chance to showcase their capacity to create beauty and joy.

Every year this competition draws a large amount of interest from Ireland’s amateur photographers, coastal enthusiasts, and the conservation-minded. The diverse range of categories ensures there is something for everyone.

This year, across all the categories, judges are encouraging photographers to explore new methods and angles in capturing the coastal regions and wildlife, and would discourage photographing of locations and species that have been heavily submitted in previous years.

The competition is being launched tonight with an online event entitled Behind the Lens - A Photographer’s Perspective, hosting some of its top photographers over the years in conservation to chat about some of their top submissions and the stories behind them.

Working with communities on the ground, Clean Coasts’ mission is to help foster pride in the coastline, supporting groups and volunteers to tackle issues affecting their local area. This competition provides an opportunity to view the coast and waterways that the Clean Coasts programme works to protect from a completely different perspective and see the beauty captured therein.

Visit the Clean Coasts website to find out more about the competition and how to enter.