Winner announced in the RTÉ Eye on Nature Wildlife Photography Competition 2022
A strikingly beautiful image of a Red Squirrel (Iora rua, Sciurus vulgaris) taken by Jimmy Mc Donnell from Newcastle Co. Wicklow has just been announced as the overall winner in the RTÉ Eye On Nature wildlife photography competition.
RTÉ and the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland with the Office of Public Works launched this year's competition in January 2022 on Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio 1 and Today on RTÉ One. RTÉ
Derek Mooney was in the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, Dublin to announce the overall winner.
All 12 finalists in the competition gathered at the National Botanic Gardens where they got to see their large-scale images displayed.
The judging panel were Dr Matthew Jebb (Director, National Botanic Gardens), Anne Sommerfield (award-winning filmmaker) and Mike Brown (award-winning wildlife photographer.) This competition celebrates the flora and fauna of our island. It received an overwhelming response with more than 3,000 entries.
After a difficult selection process, the judges selected Jimmy's image as the overall winner as 'it is the perfect combination of art and technique. Technically it is very well taken but has an artistic feel to it. Almost a painterly quality.’ Dr. Matthew Jebb, Director, National Botanic Gardens said "It's the pose. There is a lot of character in that squirrel, and the beautiful colours, It's sharp, it's well composed. it's got everything that a good photo needs."
Jimmy McDonnell was presented with the RTÉ Eye on Nature trophy and a prize of €1,000.
An online gallery featuring the 12 finalists' photographs along with a further eight runner-up images was launched last week at rte.ie/eyeonnature
The 12 finalists images will be displayed in Glasnevin until June 5th.It will then move to Dublin Castle, where along with all 12 of this year’s finalist images, the final 12 images in the 2021 competition will also be displayed. In the coming months, the exhibition will travel to other Office of Public Works sites across the country including Portumna Castle and Athenry Castle.
2022 COMPETITION NOW CLOSED
RTÉ's EYE ON NATURE, THE WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION RETURNS FOR A SECOND YEAR TO RTÉ
Following on from the huge success of last year's inaugural 'Eye on Nature', the wildlife photography competition launches once again on Today on RTÉ One in association with Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio 1 and the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland / OPW.
Last year there were over 7,000 entries and all eyes will once again be on the natural world in 2022. Photos of landscapes, flora and fauna will all be welcomed by keen amateur and professional photographers.
Last year's winner was Larry Doherty, who took an astonishingly sharp close up of the tiny Orange ladybird, Halyzia sedecimguttata, bóin Dé buí, at Cabragh Wetlands, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
This year's competition will be judged by award winning filmmaker Anne Sommerfield, wildlife photographer Mike Brown and Matthew Jebb, Director of Botanic Gardens of Ireland.
Dr. Matthew Jebb is Director of Botanic Gardens of Ireland. Other career highlights include a five-year appointment as Director of the Christensen Research Institute at Madang in Papua New Guinea and a post-doctoral position at Trinity College Dublin. Matthew is a regular contributor to Mooney Goes Wild, and has been involved in the conservation of Irish plants for over 25 years.
Matthew says "The Office of Public Works is delighted to be hosting the launch of the second 'Eye on Nature’ competition at the National Botanic Gardens. Ireland’s wildlife is so precious and essential to all of us, and seeing it afresh from another photographers’ viewpoint is always inspiring and uplifting. Having the finalists printed in large format and displayed in an outdoor setting really is breath-taking, and as with last year, we hope to tour the exhibition around the country to other OPW sites."
Anne Sommerfield is an award-winning filmmaker whose latest work includes the BAFTA-nominated series, 'Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough' for BBC One. Anne Says: "The thing that excites me about the 'Eye on Nature' competition is that it's an invitation to everyone no matter what stage you are at, to pick up a camera and connect with nature. I think that's one of the most important things we can do as a society because without that connection we haven't got a hope of saving the natural world. I'm thrilled to be one of the judges in a competition that will celebrate Ireland's spectacular wildlife and the very talented people who photograph it."
Mike Brown is an award-winning professional photographer and is best known for this Irish Landscape and Nature photography. He is one of the Irish Wildlife Trust's photographers.
Mike says: "I’m delighted to be a judge for this years 'Eye on Nature' competition as I love to see what photographers are doing out there at the moment. There are some wonderfully talented photographers making nature pictures in Ireland and it’s always exciting to see new, fresh images, which show the beauty of nature in Irish habitats. I’m hoping to see some great shots and some diverse and interesting entries showing our nature at its best."
Along with a €1000 cash prize, the winner will be presented with a trophy. They will have their photograph displayed at the National Botanic Gardens, along with the other 11 other finalists. The exhibition of finalist images is due to tour other OPW sites later in the year.
The closing date for entries is 12 Noon on Friday March 4. Entries can be submitted to rte.ie/eyeonnature, where full details along with Terms and Conditions will be found. The winner will be announced LIVE from The Botanic Gardens exhibition on The Today Show on Wednesday April 27. An online gallery will also be available.
A public information campaign will air across television, radio, online and social. There will be regular updates on Today and listeners can enjoy interviews and much more, weekly, on Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio 1.