The Irish Environmental Network are delighted to present this years shortlisted entries for the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year competition 2026!
We received photos from over 300 photographers for this years competition. There was a high level of skill on display as well as a wide range of animals, plants and habitats. It’s a joy to host this competition each year and see the variety of life that lives in Ireland.
The final shortlist showcases urban, rural and ocean wildlife and captures some incredible behaviours and relationships.
We are delighted to once again host the Ocean Category supported by Fair Seas. This is the fifth year that we have included this category and the images we receive continue to amaze us with their colour and beauty of the incredible underwater species that live in Irish waters.
Visit the exhibition at Sonairte Eco Centre from July 11th – August 31st
Address: Sonairte Eco Centre, The, Ninch, Laytown, Co. Meath, A92 D9XH
Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
.
Judges Comments
The judges for this years final results were Frank Miller, Former Picture Editor of the Irish Times and Nick Bradshaw, Photographer with the Irish Times
The shortlisted Selection from this year’s entrants into the Biodiversity Photographic competition are very special. Every year this set of images goes from strength to strength so to all the entrants, shortlisted or not – well done, keep up the great work and enjoy your photography.
Regrettably we do have to edit down the shortlist to both a commended set and finally the top 1,2,3
It’s tough and getting tougher as the imagery improves and submission really do capture the vast array of biodiversity that we are lucky enough to have here in Ireland.
No 1 – We have gone for the ‘On a Platter’ by Michael Jones as our top shot. It’s a great capture of Swallow hunting in a bountiful Meadow, it’s clean, sharp, it’s colourful and represents our natural biodiversity on multiple levels.
No 2 – ‘Top Water Dog’ by Chris Martin – A fabulous image of chasing otters on the bank of the River Lee in Cork City – again, a wonderful image of these powerful creatures, crisp detail showing the power and beauty of these elusive river / estuary dwellers as they protect their patch.
No 3 –“ Pigeons Kiss” by Mich Elliott, an endearing image of the often-maligned pigeon, visually strong, detail in the eyes and colour detail throughout fabulous an image that really draws the viewer in. A pigeon kiss also called ‘Billing’ happens as pigeons are pairing up during the mating season.
Highly Commended
Secrets of the Canopy by Bernard Burke
Starlings in Flight by Pawel Curylo
A Blue Tit with a freshly caught caterpillar by Amanda Lindsell
Female Mason Bee by Philip Greaves
A very thirsty Hooded Crowby Martin McNamara
People’s Choice: Female Mason Bee by Philip Greaves
As we said earlier, great quality of nature photography captured within a very specific timeframe, all really worthy of mention, well done to all, keep up the great work. The more you shoot the better you get, as is clearly evident in the submissions to the Biodiversity Photography Competition. Well done all !
.
Thank you to everyone who entered the competition for 2025! Congratulations to the shortlisted photographers!
The full exhibition was open at Sonairte Eco-Centre, Laytown, Co. Meath, and ran until August 31st.
The judges for this years final results were Frank Miller, Former Picture Editor of the Irish Times and Nick Bradshaw, Photographer with the Irish Times
“We looked forward to being presented with the shortlist of images for the years biodiversity photographic competition. As judges we view them all separately and make our initial selection independently. Then we compare our choices. This year, as with other years, our selections tend to be remarkably close to each other. We then discuss the merits of our selections and boil them down to our top choices. It really is getting tougher every year to decide between the winners and highly commendeds and 2025 was no exception. Image quality was really excellent, the diversity of subjects was fabulous so really, very well done to all entrants for their worthy images. Please keep up the great work and keep taking pictures – the variety of Ireland’s biodiversity is remarkable and all these images deserved to be shared widely. Our warmest congratulations to all entrants.”
“An arresting image, the structure of the four spotted chaser is beautifully captured with excellent composition, crisp and clear. We both felt it was an obvious winner, the detail of the subject, really well composed and plenty of expert photographic technique all came through to make this our choice for the top spot.”
“Again, a really striking capture of our native red squirrel, foraging on the ground it is a super capture of an fairly elusive and fast moving subject, love the expression, the wild garlic, moss and ivy all add to the success of this image, very well presented. If I were this photographer I suspect my expression would have matched the Squirrel’s!”
“Bird photography needs plenty of patience, photographic craft and indeed, luck – a single bird portrait can be captivating but to get the pair in the same frame is a bonus for the photographer, as this image demonstrates. It is very well composed, the depth of field works perfectly keeping the subjects sharp and allowing the background to soften but retain enough detail to hold interest and provide a clean non distracting background.”
In collaboration with Fair Seas, this is the fourth year of the Ocean Cateogry.
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. We are delighted to once again host this opportunity to showcase some of the underwater world around us.
Fair Seas is a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) and environmental networks. They are calling for 30% of Ireland’s ocean territory to be fully protected by 2030. You can find out more about their mission at www.fairseas.ie.
The judge for the Ocean Category was Jack O’Donovan Trá, Fair Seas Communication Officer. Find out more about Fair Seas at www.fairseas.ie. Jack left his comments below for each photo.
“This photo shows the magical world that lies just below any pier, jetty or harbour in Ireland. This photograph shows the density at which Plumose Anemones can be seen, which can often be seen even from above the water. The careful framing of this photograph, which looks up towards the surface from the darker deep water, adds to the sense of wonder and curiosity at these odd-looking creatures that can be found in the most common places.”
“This truly psychedelic shrimp in its jewelled palace is yet another reminder of the colour that is to be found in Ireland’s corner of the ocean. Framed with the shrimp and dark backdrop of the crevice at the centre allows the intricate patterning of the shrimp and anemones to be appreciated individually and complementarily.”
“The detailed view of the ‘inner space’ of this small jellyfish is instantly striking and perplexing. Framed with the dark surrounding and backscatter of particles in the water, truly makes the viewer question whether they are staring into outer space or the ocean. The photographer has carefully captured in photographic form the fact that we know more about outer space than we do about the ocean.”
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!
The Exhibition ran from July 6th for the full month of July at Sonairte Eco-Centre and Organic Gardens. By popular demand the dates were extended for the month of August. 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.
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.
About the Winning Image:
The 2024 Ocean Category of the Biodiversity Photographer of the Year Competition saw the highest calibre of underwater photos submitted yet. Richie O’Donnell’s sharp and detailed photo of the 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 easily see and study for ourselves, either in rockpools or by snorkeling 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.
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.
“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.”
The Ocean Category, in collaboration with Fair Seas
The judge for the Ocean Category was Jack O’Donovan Trá, Fair Seas Communication Officer.
“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. “
Judges comments on winning photograph:
“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.”
