Photo competition aims to celebrate Irish native hedgerows
Entries are being sought from across the country for a photography competition which seeks to celebrate Ireland's native hedgerows.
The initiative is being organised by Hedgerows Ireland, a Tipperary-based environmental group in conjunction with the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA).
The competition is open to the public, is completely free, and will involve submission of a photo that highlights some aspect of our late summer/autumn hedgerows.
This new venture represents an innovative partnership between an environmental group and the state’s specialist dairy farmer organisation.
According to Hedgerows Ireland, native hedgerows are one of our most important landscape features, supporting 95% of the wildlife in our farmed countryside, as well as providing a range of other benefits to nature and wildlife.
These include shelter, shade, flood and drought reduction, nutrient buffering, and very significant carbon storage.
The competition aims to show the beauty and function of the hedgerows that are our most emblematic rural feature.
There are two categories; under-18’s (parental consent needed), and over-18’s.
There will be three prizes in each category:
- First prize- €500;
- Second prize- €250;
- Third prize- €125.
Entry is free to the competition, and the winners will be invited to a reception to receive their prizes at a later date.
The deadline to submit entries on the Hedgerows Ireland website is midnight on October 31, 2024, and judging will be carried out by a panel of specialists.
Alan Moore of Hedgerows Ireland said that people can be as creative as they wish with their competition entries.
“This could be of a length of hedgerow showing off its shape and overall appearance, or a photo of a plant, bird, mammal, insect, or some other feature which illustrates hedgerow wildlife.
"Your photo could be a composite of different images in one single picture," he said.
Moore is particularly enthusiastic about receiving entries from young people who may not have appreciated the beauty and function of hedgerows.
“Our hope is to encourage interest and pride amongst all ages and groups in this important feature of our natural and cultural heritage," he said.
ICMSA president Denis Drennan said the association was committed to both the biodiversity-enhancing and heritage aspects of the competition.
“The vast majority of farmers are incredibly conscious of their role as guardians of our rural heritage and, in that capacity, we are happy and proud to sponsor this novel and imaginative means of highlighting Ireland’s hedgerows and the vital role they play as a diversity-enhancing habitat," he said.
