Photography competition puts area on global map
By Mary Dennehy
IRELAND’s largest and most successful digital and print photographic competition was held in the County Library, Tallaght, last Tuesday – a colourful and intriguing international competition which has been run by the Tallaght Photographic Society for the past 25 years.
Accredited by the Photographic Society of America and FIAP (the International Federation of Photographic Art), the competition this year received more than 4,500 images from photographers who live across 60 different countries, with 120 entries on display in the County Library for the month of January.
Now in its 25th year, the Tallaght Photographic Society’s annual International Salon of Photographic Art not only puts the local photography society in the picture but also Tallaght, with the prestigious and growing awards programme placing the experienced photographic society and its hometown on the global map.
John Byrne, Tallaght Photographic Society Chairman, told The Echo: “This competition has been growing for the past 25 years and it’s continuing to grow.
“There are only two clubs in the country that run a competition which focuses on both print and digital, ourselves and a camera club in Cork – which started its award two years ago after seeing how successful the Tallaght Photographic Society competition was.
“It’s amazing how well the competition is doing and the two acreditations that the competition has helps us to secure a high number of international entries.”
He added: “It’s pretty amazing that a Tallaght-based photographic competition is attracting so many entries from as far away as Australia and India.
“The competition has really helped to promote the Tallaght Photographic Society and Tallaght, putting both on the map.”
The competition is also growing here in Ireland, and this year the competition, judged by an international panel, had the highest number of Irish winners – which reflects the high international standard of photography in this country.
On Tuesday, a crowd, including County Mayor Sarah Holland, gathered in the County Library for the results of the competition, which saw the presentation of 13 awards, and to launch an exhibition of images that will run in the Tallaght-based library until the end of January.
For further details on the competition or to join the Tallaght Photographic Society visit www.tallaghtphotographicsociety.com , or the group’s Facebook page.
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