Ten stunning wildlife photographs have been announced as finalists in RTÉ’s wildlife photography competition, Eye on Nature

Ten stunning wildlife photographs have been announced as finalists in RTÉ’s wildlife photography competition, Eye on Nature.

Swans, frogs, sabre wasps and foxes are among the animals featured in the photographs that made the final of RTÉ’s Eye on Nature which is a partnership between RTÉ’s Nationwide, Mooney Goes Wild on RTÉ Radio 1 and the Office of Public Works (OPW) at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.

The ten finalists are based across Ireland and were shortlisted from over two and half thousand entries. The winning Eye on Nature photo will be revealed on RTÉ One’s Nationwide on Friday 23rd June at 7pm, presented by Anne Cassin and Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh.

The ten finalists are: Dublin-based Romanian photographer Petrica Bratila’s photo of a Mute Swan; Edward W. Delaney’s picture of a Common Frog in Wexford; Waterford’s Andrew Malcolm’s shot of a Sabre Wasp; Tristane Bane’s photograph of a Red Fox; Karl Graef’s photo of a Badger at Meelick, County Clare; Paul Campbell’s shot of a Coot in Dublin; Antrim’s Thomas McDonnell’s picture of a Hare; Philip Greaves photo of a Red Mason Bee in Tipperary; Limerick’s Daniel Meehan’s photograph of a Rabbit and Ashling Byrne’s photo of a Fox in Rathfarnham.

Executive Producer Janet Frawley said: “Every year there is such a great response from the public to the Eye on nature competition and this year is a particularly special one as the competition is part of the 30th birthday celebrations for Ireland’s most watched television feature news-programme, Nationwide. The judges were blown away by the volume and quality of the entries to the competition. The work of our ten finalists is a testament to the photography talent in Ireland. The photographs show t beauty of our natural world and highlight the biodiversity that exists in our wild places.” 

The final ten photos and the winner of this year’s competition were chosen by this year’s judging panel: Director of National Botanic Gardens of Ireland Dr Matthew Jebb, Niall Hatch from Birdwatch Ireland and award-winning nature-photographer Sheena Jolley.

Speaking about the competition Dr Matthew Jebb said: “Eye on Nature illustrates perfectly the biodiversity in the Irish landscape from the unusual Sabre Wasp to the common frog and our native red fox. I hope these ten stunning images of Irish wildlife inspire viewers to cherish the natural world. Congratulations to all our ten finalists whose photography was exceptional again this year. It was exceeding difficult to select a winner.” 

Now in its third year, RTÉ’s Eye on Nature competition gives wildlife photographers across Ireland the opportunity to showcase their immense talent and they were invited to enter photographs of wildlife for a chance to win a cash prize of €1,000 and the Eye on Nature trophy.

The photographs of the ten finalists and a further eight merit photographs will be displayed at an exhibition at the National Botanic Gardens. The exhibition is scheduled to travel to other OPW sites later this year including Portumna, Athenry and Limerick and the exhibition is also available online at RTE.ie/eyeonnature

The winner of Eye on Nature will be announced on Nationwide on Friday 23rd June at 7pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.

Derek Mooney spoke to some of the finalists on Mooney Goes Wild on Monday night.

Listen back here: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/mooney/programmes/2023/0619/1390089-mooney-goes-wild-monday-19-june-2023/