The Teagasc Forestry Development Department has announced the winners of the second category in its ongoing forest photo competition; Celebrating the New Forestry Programme 2023-2027.
The theme of category two was “Trees on the Farm” which covered how forests and trees are integrated into other farming activities and into the overall landscape.
Teagasc confirmed that the winning entry in the adult category was an image captured by Aoife Hester, from Bray, Co. Wicklow.
The junior category winner was Eva Heaphy from Kilworth in Co. Cork.
Photo competition
The judges felt that Aoife’s image transmits the peace and quiet often found in the countryside.
The trees, animals and fields in the photograph illustrate how forestry and agriculture can complement each other, they said.
Aoife said that she visits the tree in the image at different times of year and enjoys the changing colours.
Eva’s entry was described by the judges in the photo competition as “very imaginative, colourful and unusual”.
Eva said that this farm is a great place to “escape everything” as it is deep in a forest.
Both winners will each receive a voucher worth €300 and will be entered into the grand final on December 15, when an overall winner will be chosen from each of the three category winners in the two age groups.
The overall winners will receive a voucher for a further €300.
The winning photos and a selection of highly commended entries in the “Trees on the Farm” category will be available for viewing on the forestry section of the Teagasc website.
Teagasc also announced that the third and final category in the competition is now open for entries.
The theme of category three is “The Forest Harvest”, which aims to celebrate all that we can get from forests, including timber, fungi, berries and firewood.
Entries for the competition will be accepted up to 5:00p.m on Monday, December 11, 2023.
The competition is open to non-professional photographers and a maximum of one photo per participant is allowed for each category.