Photography competition: Over 45 photographers from 20 Clubs entered event

“I WAS absolutely delighted with the level and quality of the images entered,” remarks Chairperson of the IPF Midlands-East Region Committee Louise Skelly.

The regional final and qualifiers of the Irish Photographic Federation National Photography Competition Mid East Region took place April 5 at Áras Chrónáin, Irish Cultural Centre, Clondalkin.

This competition was organised by the IPF Midlands-East regional committee with the assistance of the Clondalkin Camera Club.

Over 45 photographers from almost 20 photography clubs in the Midlands-East region entered 423 print and digital images for consideration by the judges.

The event was officially opened by Shane Moynihan, the recently elected TD for the Dublin Mid-West constituency.

For this in-person event, three judges scored the images, awarding a maximum of 15 points for each image.

High-scoring images qualified for the National Photography Finals taking place on 26 April in Mullingar.

Images were entered in each of six photographic categories: People, Landscape, Creative (Prints) & Activity, Macro, and Urban (Digital).

The Midlands-East committee awarded medals for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in each category, and all qualifiers will receive a Certificate of Qualification. The top print in the region also received a voucher from Bermingham Cameras.

Seamus Costello, FIPF, Kilkenny; John Sheridan, FIPF, Drogheda; and Gary Loughran, LIPF & eFIAP, Carrickmacross, were the judges for the competition, and it was a “delight” to have such expert photographers adjudicate on the merits of the images before them.

The judging took place in an “open session”, meaning that those attending the regional finals could see in real time the scoring of each individual image.

The National Competition Final is sponsored by Bermingham Cameras, who will provide a prize of €1,500 to the best image in the Final.

The IPF would like to thank Bermingham Cameras for their generous sponsorship of this event.

Commenting on the giant entry for this competition, Skelly continued, “The number of images entered has more than doubled over 2024, and I think this represents a new and growing commitment to high-standard photography across the region.”

Louise went on to express her “thanks and gratitude to the photographers who entered, the esteemed judges, her committee, and the hard work of the volunteers from Clondalkin Camera Club who organised so much of the logistics for the day.

She would like to offer “a special thanks also to the directors of Áras Chrónáin, Irish Cultural Centre, for the use of their premises—Gura míle maith agaibh.”

President of the Irish Photographic Federation Ita Hegarty also attended in her official capacity and said that she “was really happy and delighted with the high quality of the images on display.”

She thanked Louise Skelly and her team for organising the event in such a “competent and professional manner”.

She wished all photographers “the very best of luck in the regional final and hopes that all will have images qualified for the National Finals.”