Top

AONB Photography Competition 2023

As part of the Mourne Wall 100 Year Celebration Calendar, we are delighted to announce that we have teamed up with NI Water for this years’ amateur photography competition. To mark 100 years of the Mourne Wall the management teams of the Ring of Gullion, the Mournes and Strangford and Lecale AONBs, and NI Water are launching this years theme “Mourne Gullion Strangford, Water & Nature Through the Seasons in the AONBs”. Not one but two calendars for 2023 will be produced from the photographs entered this year!

If you enter a photograph into the Mournes category and are over 18 years old, your entry will be entered into the competition for both calendars, both the AONB and the Mourne Centenary Calendars. See the Competition rules for further information.

This photography competition gives amateur photographers of all ages, across the three AONBs a great way to showcase their love of their areas through high-quality beautiful photography. We want to inspire everyone to enjoy the AONBs, by encouraging everyone to share their two passions: the beauty of the area and photography!

The theme is open to individual interpretation. You might choose to photo wildlife (which includes animals and plants), landscapes, or even the weather. Visit https://www.ringofgullion.org/gallery-category/photography-competition/ to see photos entered and winners in the past few years.

The Photography Competition will run until the 18th August 2023.

Prizes

AONB Calendar

Prizes will be awarded to winners of the under and over 18 category winners. A runner-up or second prize will also win a prize in over the 18 category.

1st prize over 18yrs old – £100 cheque, printed framed photograph, Silent Valley 10-year Family Pass winner, 100-year Pin Badge

2nd prize over 18yrs old – £50 cheque, Silent Valley 1-year Family Pass winner, 100-year Pin Badge

1st prize under 18 yrs old – £50 cheque, Silent Valley Family Day pass, NI Water Goody bag,100 yr Pin badge

Mourne Wall 100 Year Celebration Calendar

Prizes will be awarded to 1st and 2nd places in the over 18yr old category.

1st prize over 18yrs old – printed framed photograph, Silent Valley 10-year Family Pass winner, 100-year Pin Badge

2nd prize over 18yrs old – Silent Valley 1-year Family Pass winner, 100-year Pin Badge

All prize winners will be invited to an Award Ceremony provided by NI Water.

Prize money kindly donated by Ards and North Down Borough Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

All other prizes and awards ceremony kindly provided by NI Water.

You and your winning entries will also enjoy a wealth of publicity on our websites, on all our social media channels and local media.

Rules

Please download the rules of entry below as we have added some new rules to give everyone a chance or call the Ring of Gullion/ Strangford and Lecale AONB Officers on for more information. Pictures of domestic animals (eg pets), animals in captivity and cultivated plants are not eligible.

PLEASE NOTE – Only photos taken in the 3 AONBs will be accepted. You can view the boundary by clicking 

Timetable for Competition

  • The competition is opens for entries on 1st December 2022.
  • Closing date is 5pm is 18th August 2023.
  • Overall Winners will be announced in September 2023.
  • The Calendar featuring all the winners will be available from December 2023.

Categories

AONB Calendar

  • Under 18
  • Over 18

Mourne Centenary Calendar

  • Over 18 only

Annual Photography Competition (see the rules for full list of requirements).

  • Entrants can submit up to four photos as an electronic copy (max 10mb) in colour or black and white. Hard copy images cannot be accepted. It is recommended to be at least 1200 pixels on the longest length.
  • A high-resolution image with a minimum of 6MB, preferably over 10MB, will be requested if entries are shortlisted and entrants may be disqualified at the judge’s discretion if high resolution images are not provided when requested.
  • Entrants must not be professional photographers and, for the purposes of this competition, a professional photographer will be considered to be someone who makes more than half their annual income from the sale of their photographs.

Downloads

AONB Photography Competition Rules 2023 DOWNLOAD

Ring of Gullion AONB MapDOWNLOAD

Strangford and Lecale AONB MapDOWNLOAD

Mourne AONB MapDOWNLOAD

AONB Photography Competition Privacy NoticeDOWNLOAD

Sign up and stay up to date with our newsletter.

Sign up to ensure that you don’t miss out on any Ring of Gullion, Strangford Lough & Lecale Partnership, and Mourne Mountains Heritage Trust news and events!

More Competitions