Planning a trip to the coast? Submit your best shots of the Irish coast for a chance to win from a prize fund of €6,000

This Saturday, 19th August, we celebrate World Photography Day. To mark the day, enter Clean Coasts’ 14th edition of the annual Love Your Coast photography competition. Photographers are invited to capture and celebrate the breathtaking uniqueness of our coastal landscapes, heritage, wildlife and communities. Ireland has some of the most spectacular coastlines in the world and many people might decide to spend their holidays in one of the stunning locations all along the coast this summer. Clean Coasts want to encourage these people to get out their cameras and capture its beauty.  

In honour of the Clean Coasts programme’s 20th anniversary, a brand new category called “Protectors of the Coast” was introduced, which will highlight the volunteering efforts and community spirit dedicated to preserving our cherished coastal areas. Additionally, we were pleased to reinstate the “Underwater” category, previously suspended due to Covid-related diving restrictions.

This year’s competition categories are as follows: 1. Wildlife and Coast 2. Coastal Landscape 3. People and the Coast 4. Coastal Heritage 5. Underwater 6. Protectors of the Coast Photographers have until 9 am on 28th August 2023 to submit their best images in one of the five categories, all vying for a share of the €6,000 prize fund. Since its inception in 2010, the Love Your Coast photography competition has been an extraordinary opportunity to showcase the beauty of the coastal regions and waterways that Clean Coasts has worked to protect since 2003. Photographers are encouraged to explore new and different methods and angles in capturing the coastal regions and wildlife and would discourage photographing of locations and species that have been heavily submitted in previous years. Sinead McCoy, Coastal Community Manager said: “Clean Coasts are delighted to be launching the Love Your Coast competition for the 14th year. The competition draws considerable interest from Ireland’s photographers and coastal enthusiasts and over the previous years it has received thousands of entries with the standard getting higher with each passing year. We are delighted to welcome back the Underwater category and excited to introduce the new category Protectors of the Coast. The Love Your Coast competition is a fantastic addition to the Clean Coasts programme and, as the application window comes to a close, we are excited to see the submissions and the incredible Irish coastline spots captured by photographers nationwide. We invite everyone to capture the essence of our breathtaking coastlines and, in doing so, help spread the message of preservation and conservation. Together, let’s turn inspiration into action and create a legacy of love for our coasts that will endure for generations to come.” To enter the competition, please visit the Clean Coasts website at www.cleancoasts.orgWEBSITE:https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/love-your-coast/SOCIAL MEDIA    Facebook: @CleanCoasts Twitter: @CleanCoasts Instagram: @cleancoasts YouTube: Clean Coasts Ireland Linkedin: Clean Coasts   #LoveYourCoast #CleanCoasts About Clean Coasts In 2023, Clean Coasts is celebrating its 20th birthday. Clean Coasts is a charity programme, run through the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, which engages communities in the protection of Ireland’s beaches, seas and marine life.    Since 2003, Clean Coasts has been working with communities to help protect and care for Ireland’s waterways, coastline, seas, ocean and marine life. Clean Coasts thrives to create tangible and immediate improvements to Ireland’s coastal environment, involving thousands of volunteers removing large quantities of marine litter from our coastline each year.     For the past 20 years, Clean Coasts has grown from strength to strength and now includes two main national clean-up drives, as well as other initiatives, including the Green Coast Award, the Love Your Coast Photography competition, the Clean Coasts Roadshows for coastal communities and the Ocean Hero Awards. All these initiatives are aimed at celebrating the beauty of our coast and the efforts of our volunteers across all of Ireland.      Currently, there are over 2,000 registered Clean Coasts volunteering groups and 40,000 volunteers. There are a variety of group types such as community groups, residents’ associations, tidy towns groups, sports clubs, schools, businesses, universities etc. Clean Coasts organises hundreds of beach clean-ups annually mobilising thousands of volunteers, removing considerable quantities of marine litter from Ireland’s beaches and waterways. Our volunteering has expanded to also include Corporate Volunteering.  About the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage As part of its commitments under the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive and OSPAR’s Marine Litter Action Plan, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is proud to support An Taisce’s ‘Clean Coasts Programme’, in its enthusiastic engagement with marine communities in relation to marine litter and in heightening public awareness and influencing positive behaviour among civil society. The Department would also like to acknowledge the tremendous work done by hundreds of local clean coast groups around the coast in protecting the marine environment, for the generations to come. About Failte Ireland Fáilte Ireland, the National Tourism Development Authority, is a proud sponsor of the Clean Coasts programme for the past 9 years. The Green Coast Awards and associated Clean Coasts groups act as custodians for the beaches, seas, and marine life in Ireland, ensuring that they are managed appropriately and that they are litter and pollution free for our visitors to enjoy. Ireland’s coastline is a tremendously important tourism asset and the majority of the green coast and coast care groups and Green Coast beaches are located within the Wild Atlantic Way, Irelands Ancient East and Dublin Programme areas. The achievement and display of the Green Coast Award at our beaches reaffirms our clean green image to our visitors.