Shortlisted Images for 2024

This years competition entries were full of beautiful portraits, artistic compositions, candid moments, and a huge variety of wildlife on land and sea. It was a tough competition as always, and we would like to thank everyone who entered, and offer our congratulations to the final shortlisted photographers!

See the images in person at the Exhibition, running from July 6th for the full month of July at Sonairte Eco-Centre and Organic Gardens. More information to come. For now, have a look at the wonderful shortlisted images below and discover a snapshot of what photographers in Ireland have seen during May 2024.

The judges for the main competition were Frank Miller, Former Picture Editor of the Irish Times and Nick Bradshaw, Photographer with the Irish Times.

Frank Miller and Nick Bradshaw said:

We were again extremely impressed by the quality and diversity of ALL the shortlisted entries, most of which were potential prize-winners. At the end of the day we had the difficult task of choosing our favourites but all on the shortlist should be extremely proud of their work.

FIRST PLACE: Shy Poser – Declan Goulding
_{A beautiful Hare posing taken through May}

_{Judges comments: The judges were captivated by this beautiful portrait of an elusive hare. The poise of the hare and the apparent eye contact makes this an exceptionally beautiful image.}

SECOND PLACE: A Dandy Siskin – Elliot Wood
_{A male siskin eating dandelion seeds in my garden in Co. Wicklow}

_{Judges comments: We loved this delightful image of a Siskin picking off a seed. The connection of the bird to its natural environment is extremely well captured.}

THIRD PLACE: Queen Tree Wasp – Pádraig Kavanagh
_{Queen Tree Wasp settles down for the night, St. Mullins, Co. Carlow}

_{Judges comments: A really striking and impressive image, the judges were impressed by the quality and impact of this macro work.}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Fly on Mushrooms – Adrian Nolan

_{Judges comments: A beautiful vibrant image, the woodland scene is intelligently lit to show off the saturated colours of the environment.}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Skylark – Noel Newell
_{Skylark at Cruit Island Donegal displaying at dawn}

_{Judges comments: A deceptively simple image but very difficult to capture, beautifully isolated for clarity.}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Velvet Rain Deer – Marcus Counihan
_{Red deer stag. This image was taken in the demesne area of Killarney National Park. Stags lose their antlers around March every year and proceed to grow a new set by summer. When growing new antlers, the skin on the outside is soft with a velvety texture and is actually called velvet. The inside is made up of cartilage and blood which rapidly grows and will in a short few months calcify into bone. The stag in the photograph was resting in an area of newly grown bracken when a rain shower suddenly appeared out of nowhere.}

_{Judges comments: A beautiful image of a Red Deer Stag at Killarney National Park, captured half-hidden amongst the foliage. The texture of the velvet horns and the falling rain make this image special.}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Swan and Cygnets in Bushy Park – Philip Duke

_{Judges comments: The judges absolutely loved this image – a terrific low angle and perfect composition of a swan and her brood in Bushy Park, Dublin.}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Bullet – Pawel Zygmunt
_{A swallow, sleek and swift like a bullet, darts low over the fields of grain. Its streamlined body cuts through the air with precision, captured in a moment of agile flight against the backdrop of golden stalks swaying gently in the breeze.}

_{Judges comments: We were really impressed by this very unusual image of a Swallow speeding over a field of grain, presumably to mop up any insects at low level. The panning technique, combined with the movement of the crop, brilliantly isolates the bird against the background.}

PEOPLES CHOICE: Love is in the Air – Michal Mielnik
_{I came to Lough Ree, Co.Longford from Wicklow to capture greatest display of geomagnetic storm in over 20 years. For the whole night four swans were keeping me company while I was photographing Aurora Borealis. For obvious reasons I set the sharpness on stars but their presence and wild chasing on almost half of my 11000 frames from 4 cameras made my timelapse from that night exceptional and this is the only photograph I found to be sharp enough with both swans staying in one place for 6 seconds with their necks up.}

_{Biodiversity Week Team comments: When choosing this photo for the shortlist, we were struck by this rarely submitted yet extremely important habitat, that of our dark skies. The beauty of the aurora borealis also reminds us that we are a part of a planetary eco-system, and that our planet exists in an even grander eco-system of the galaxy. The swans are easily missed, but the addition of these two little lives gives the viewer much to ponder over.}

Heron Housekeeping – Andrea Hunt
_{Herbert Park, Co.Dublin – a busy heron putting the finishing touches on the nest high in the treetops overlooking the park’s pond}

Diving on the River Dodder – Brenda Sheridan
_{A female kingfisher starting her dive on the River Dodder, Rathfarnham, Dublin}

Rabbit – Sean Garvey
_{Cute baby rabbit was peeking out of its borrow just nibbling on the grass on the edge of its hole.}

Leap of Faith- Paul Lynam
_{Willow warbler grabs lunch}

Cormorants Monster Meal – Edward Barr
_{Taken on the Dodder River. I enjoy the action photos just like the Cormorant and eel it shows the fight for survival of the strongest. I’ve been taking photos for the last 8 years and I enjoy the challenge of getting that next best photo}

Full Bloom – Lorraine Schilder
_{Fully bloom fairy tree}

Young Viviparous Lizard – Megan Gilchrist

Muddy Irish Stoat – Stuart Kenny
_{An Irish stoat on the edge of a slightly muddy path in Irishtown, Gormanston, County Meath}

Sibling Rivalry, Dublin – Chris Martin
_{These two young fox kit siblings play fighting are learning vital skills for adulthood. They are part of an urban fox family thriving in Dublin which sometimes, early in the morning and after dark, explore the gardens next to their dens on adjacent wasteground.}

Ocean Category

The Ocean Category, in collaboration with Fair Seas

The judge for the Ocean Category was Jack O’Donovan Trá, Fair Seas Communication Officer.

Judges comments: We have barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding life in the ocean. The ocean category of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition is a vital insight into a world that covers 70% of planet Earth. The ocean around Ireland is full of wonder including great kelp forests, deep-sea coral reefs, ocean giants and as much colour as tropical waters. Yet, even with all the amazing biodiversity on our shores, Ireland’s colder, wilder waters are severely underrepresented compared to other parts of the global ocean and compared to the amount of photo and video content of wildlife on land. The standard of entries to the 2024 competition was incredible and I hope to see an interest in underwater photography continue to grow across Ireland.

WINNER: Light Bulb Sea Squirt – Richie O’Donnell
_{This interesting sea squirt begins life as a tadpole like form. As it matures is finds a forever home and permanently attaches to a rock .For me seeing thriving sea squirts is a great sign of clean sea qualities, these sea squirts sit in the ebbing and flowing tides nourishing on passing nutrients .My camera flashes in this case beautifully illuminated the subject to show off its incredible colours and transparency.}
_{Nikon D850 .ISO 200, F18,105mm Macro lens with Inon Flashes . This Image was taken Cuas Diarmuid Named after Diarmuid and Grainne from Old Folklore .This site is located west of the village of Portmagee just before Bray Head .Co Kerry.}

_{Judges comments: The 2024 Ocean Category of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year Competition saw the highest calibre of underwater photos submitted yet. Richies O’Donnell’s sharp and detailed photo of Light Bulb Sea Squirts immediately caught the eye of the judges. The sharp focus, good use of lighting and the dark background creates both a sense of mystery to those unfamiliar with the species and a greater understanding of how they work as the inner workings of the animals are clearly visible. While Ireland’s coast is home to many large charismatic species such as whales, seals and sharks, it is often with the smaller more delicate species that we can all easily see and study for ourselves, either in rockpools or by snorkelling or scuba diving. Richie O’Donnell’s photograph of Light Bulb Sea Squirts reminds us of the magic and wonder waiting to be stumbled upon all along Ireland’s shores.}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Arctic Terns – Christopher Howes

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Angler portrait – Libby Keatley
_{Angler (Lophius piscatorius) close-up, taken in Strangford Lough, Co. Down}

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ruddy Turnstone on the Shore – John Murphy
_{Ruddy Turnstone at Tory Harbour, Co. Donegal}

PEOPLES CHOICE: Guillemot Dive, The Birds – Stephen Frawley
_{Guillemot diving through sun rays into the clear blue waters. Doulous Head, Kerry}

_{Biodiversity Week Team comments: When choosing this photo for the shortlist we loved the beautiful simplicity of the image, the changing hue as the water deepens, and the rarely seen view of underwater behaviour of the diving bird.}

Nudibranch – Annegret Pfuetzner
_{This delicate nudibranch seems very interested in the orange plumose anemone.}

Fintastic Pose – Istvan Berenyi
_{Curious Bottlenose Dolphin}

Ringed Plover – Janice Mulligan
_{Ringed Plover on a beautiful Donegal beach}

Jewels of Middle Rock – Mike Orth
_{Wide Angle capture of a cluster of Jewel Anemones as the sun set on Middle Rock Kilkee. Closer to the surface where the evening light was brighter I found many groups of anemones. Not easy to access this unless you get a calm day as the waves can sweep you over the top.}

Resting Tompot Blenny – Richie O’Donnell
_{This Handsome Blenny was resting amongst some stunning corals, sea anemones and Tubular Hydroids .These fishes in particular are great to sit and pose for the photographer, I often imagine they are admiring themselves in your camera lens reflections. They often swim off and are back again a moment later for a second glance. They key to capturing a shot of them correctly is to be patient and thy will come to you . This Image was captured at one of my favorite dive locations on Valentia Island ,Co Kerry known locally as The Birds. Nikon D850 .ISO 150, F25, 105mm Macro lens with Inon Flashes .}

Past Winners – Shortlisted Images for 2023

Congratulations to the finalists for the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition 2023! These breathtaking images showcase some of the wonderful and mysterious creatures who depend on the Ocean for daily survival. These images were chosen not only for their technical and artistic skill, but for the species and behaviour on display.

This year was as tough as ever to choose just 20 photos for the shortlist, and a further 10 for the Ocean Category. With over 1000 images submitted of a wide array of wildlife, this years entries are testimony to the huge variety of life that calls Ireland home, and display the passion and patience of the photographers who captured such beautiful images.

This years judges were Frank Miller, Former Picture Editor of the Irish Times and Nick Bradshaw, Photographer with the Irish Times.

Judges Comments

“Generally speaking, the image quality was really exceptional this year. Difficult decisions had to be made to bring the shortlist down. We considered some 15 images which were real contenders but at the end of the day we had to make those difficult choices and we chose the top three images and awarded six Highly Commended – in all truth the top ten or so images deserved Highly Commended status.

A few things come to mind and those would-be for entrants to consider their cropping, some images would have benefited from more considered cropping, the image sharpness was good enough and careful cropping would only have benefited in the final composition and impact. Secondly captioning is also very important, the more information for the judges the better.”

**Brenda Sheridan** – Juvenile Stone chat looking for food from Daddy at Greystones to Bray walk.

FIRST PLACE

Judges comments: “Simple, clean and well composed – an endearing image. A worthy winner in a very tough competition.”

SECOND PLACE

Judges comments: “Super image of the elusive hare, a striking composition, beautifully lit in sharp morning light and really draws in the viewer, well done.”

**Kevin Walsh** – The Dawn Swans
Swans emerging from the dawn mist at a local Nature Reserve

HIGHLY COMMENDED

**Alan Cowzer – Red Fox with breakfast for the cubs.**
While crossing an open football pitch, something disturbs him and he stops to assess the situation. He then carries on. Photo taken early morning, Tymon Park, South Dublin.

**Donal Power – The waiting game**
A male little tern tries unsuccessfully to woo a female with a sand eel, as she is not quite ready for nesting. Kilcoole, Co Wicklow.

**Fiona Keane** – Orange Tip Butterfly on Dandelion Seed Head

**Philip O Byrne** – Humpback whale feeding

**Jack Kennedy** – Meadow Pipit busily gathering insects on the Mac hair flats of Connemara

**Mark Collins** – Curious Sedge Warbler
Sedge warbler looking for food in reed bed.

**Robert Leane** – Relaxing Deer in Knockreer. Young Red Deer sitting in the grass, with Tomies Mountain in the background.

**Suzanne Behan** – Northern Gannet diving and bringing a Ballon Wrasse up from below.

THIRD PLACE

Judges comments: “A very dramatic image, timing is everything and this ticked all the boxes. Explosive action perfectly captured as the Gannet surfaces with the unusual catch.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED

**Bogdan Pasca – Battle for survival**
Great cormorant throwing an eel up in the air as it was trying to catch him by the head. The eel was wrapping around its neck and beak, but after a hard battle he managed to swallow the eel by crushing his head with the beak. Bushy Park, Dublin.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

**Kevin Barrett – Symbiosis**
An array of fungi, bluebells, clover, moss and what else not visible living together at the base of an old Oak – the fungi for days, the bluebells for weeks, the Oak for centuries.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

**Jonathan Mitchell – Egg Thief**
A Raven stealing an egg off the bird stacks on Rathlin Island

HIGHLY COMMENDED

**Fiona Keane** – Narrow bordered bee hawk moth

HIGHLY COMMENDED

**Helen McQuillan** – Speckled Wood Butterfly on Moss Carpet

**Jack Ahern** – A jumping spider watching the world go by

**Noel Newell** – Northern Lapwing in a beautiful wildflower meadow. County Donegal.

Ocean Category

The judge for the Ocean Category was Jack O’Donovan Trá, Fair Seas Communication Officer.

Judges comments

“The ocean category of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition is a vital insight into a world that is so under-documented. The ocean around Ireland is full of wonder including great kelp forests, deep-sea coral reefs, ocean giants and as much colour as tropical waters. Yet even with all the amazing biodiversity on our shores, Ireland’s colder, wilder waters are severely underrepresented when it comes to other parts of the global ocean. We are an island and I hope this category and these mesmerising competition entries inspire more people to get out and explore what Ireland’s waters have waiting to be discovered. “

**Annegret Pfuetzner** – Underwater world with Goby
Sponges, sea squirts, worms and a goby – the underwater world around Ireland has such a wonderful variety of colourful sea life!

**Istvan Berenyi** – Scorpion Fish
Image was taken on a shore dive with an Olympus TG-6.

**Vanessa Keane** – Tompot Blenny posing for his picture

**John Murphy** – Gannets
The Gannets, have seemed to come through the terrible year of Bird flu with reports of birds surviving the sickness.

**Suzanne Behan** – Gannet and Black Backed Gull.
Northern Gannet having his catch stolen after a successful dive by a black backed gull and so the chase began.

**Mark O’Leary**
Lobster in her beautiful home. Illaunabaha, Kilkee, Co. Clare – May 29th 2023

WINNER: OCEAN CATEGORY

Judges comments: “In my opinion, Mark O’Leary has captured ‘balance and perspective in his stunning shot of a lobster resting on a perch among colourful anemones and a garden of red seaweed laid before it. I feel this shot shows the lobster with such a personality. What a beautiful and colourful surrounding the lobster has chosen to rest in. This shot I feel shows us a glimpse of the individual life of this wild, native animal when in most cases lobsters are only ever presented to us as food. Well done Mark.”

**Sinead Keys** – Jellyfish off Rathlin Island

**John Murphy** – Black-tailed Godwits
Black-tailed Godwits look like they want to breed here in Ireland as some have remained during summer but breeding has not been proven yet.

**Tom Scally** – The Gift.
Puffin on Saltee Island.

_{Featured image credit: John O’Brien}

Competition Shortlist

Shortlisted Images for 2024

Ocean Category

Past Winners – Shortlisted Images for 2023

Ocean Category