Entries in the Donegal Volunteer Photography competition whittled down to nine from 162

By Evelyn Cullen

FROM a list of a whopping 162 entries, up from last year’s 134, a shortlist of just nine was formed at the judging stage of the Donegal Volunteers Photography Competition.

The full shortlist of the nine photographs across the two categories has been published.

The judging took place on Wednesday morning last in the County Museum in Letterkenny. The judging panel was made up of five people including representatives of the Donegal Volunteer Centre, the Donegal County Museum and this paper, the three organisations who partnered to run the competition.

“It wasn’t easy but there were hardly any fights between the judges,” said Eamonn Bonner of the Donegal Volunteer Centre, who himself was not on the judging panel, but was responsible for presenting the photos on a big screen and telling the stories of each one, which he did with impressive detail.

Entries came in from right across the county from Inishowen to Letterkenny, Rathmullan to Falcarragh and beyond, showing people in action in a wide variety of volunteering activities. Photos captured people cleaning rivers, picking up litter, planting flowers, training guide dogs, singing, teaching, face painting, a man counting trout jumping upstream by just looking at them, a rare and impressive skill, men hefting hay, a group showing how a loom works in the Dunfanaghy Workhouse, and people helping out at Relay for Life, Pride, Darkness into Light, and the Northwest 10k, to name just a few.

“Brash Collecting” by Liz Doherty (Inishowen)

The judging panel were shown each of the 162 photos on a big screen and invited to critique them based on how well they captured the themes of ‘volunteering in action’ and ‘heritage in action’. They also considered colour, lighting, balance and file quality.

The judges said they were “blown away” by the sheer variety of work and the richness of culture that was captured in the photos, which really shows how the spirit of volunteering in Donegal in all walks of life, is alive and well.

Immigrants from various countries, in particular Ukraine, feature strongly in the photos showing how volunteering is a great way of getting involved in your community when you move to a new country.

“Volunteering is a way of helping your community but also of helping yourself by getting involved and meeting people” said John Curran, of the Donegal Volunteer Centre. “Building connections as well as making a difference are some of the most rewarding things about volunteering” he added.

“Litter picker” by Olha Vartanova (Stranorlar)

The photos in the ‘heritage in action’ category also showcased important cultural work across the county.

“The little stories that say a lot” said Caroline Carr, Donegal County Museum.

“These people are doing wonderful things to keep our heritage alive and we celebrate them” she added.

The winners and runners-up will be announced at a special prize-giving ceremony on Monday, September 16 at the County Museum, which is open to all to come and enjoy.

On this night about 60 to 70 of the photos across the two categories ‘volunteering in action’ and ‘heritage in action’ will be exhibited, with the shortlisted nine photos being printed on attractive foam boards but covered until all is revealed.

They will also be displayed in the museum on Culture Night, Friday, September 20, which could see up to 600 or 700 people through the door.

With the competing photographers as well as their volunteering muses in attendance, it promises to be a fantastic night of competition and craic.

“All will be revealed on September 16,” remarked Eamonn in anticipation.

Prizes include a €300 Shop LK voucher, a €100 voucher for Magees Chemist Photo Lab, a cash prize of €50 as well as goodie bags. Winners and runners-up will also be featured in this paper.

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