Kilkenny photograph is overall junior winner in forest photo competition

The overall winners of the 2023 Teagasc forest photo competition have been announced by the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett. 

This year’s competition, “Celebrating the New Forestry Programme 2023 – 2027”, had three themes and, for the first time, both an adult and junior age category. Each theme winner was chosen by a panel of judges and the final selection of the overall winners in each age category was by popular choice. Voting was brisk all weekend and today the winners were finally clear. 

The overall winner in the adult category is Adrian Nolan from County Galway. Adrian’s striking photo is very well composed and reminds us that fungi play an essential role in the forest cycle, and as part of its biodiversity, and are often overlooked. 

In the junior category the deserving winner is Jake Byrne from Kilkenny. Jake’s image (below) was simple, yet really impactful. It captured the sense of fun that can be had from a few pieces of timber combined with a good sprinkling of imagination.   

Each of the winners will receive a voucher for €300 to add to their earlier voucher of the same amount bringing their total winnings to €600. 

Congratulating, the competition winners, Minister Hackett said: “I am delighted to announce Adrian and Jake as the overall and well-deserved winners. I would like to thank all the entrants for showcasing such wonderful examples of the many roles forests play in all our lives”.

Minister Hackett continued; “I would also like to thank Teagasc for their important work in promoting and celebrating the variety of themes contained within the new Forestry Programme 2023-2027. This programme is the most ambitious to date and supports landowners to plant trees in a manner that provides lasting climate, biodiversity, wood production, employment, and wider societal benefits. Forests have an important and lasting influence across generations, and I welcome that this competition reflects this, with two new distinct age categories.”

Teagasc Forestry Liaison Officer Paul Butler, who co-ordinated the initiative said: “Teagasc sincerely thanks all participants who submitted high quality photographs to our 2023 competition. It really is a pleasure see the varied ways the ecosystems, products and services of our forests are reflected in the images presented. I would also like to thank the judging panel who had such a challenging task in selecting the winners in each theme and also the Teagasc Public Relations Department for their invaluable help in promoting the competition. We look forward to organising another photo competition in 2024”.

The winning photos from the Teagasc forest photo competition will shortly be available to view on the Teagasc website at www.teagasc.ie/forestphotos . This competition was coordinated by Teagasc with support from the Forestry Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).