Love Your Coast Photography Competition Opens for Valentine's Day Entries

An Taisce's Clean Coasts Programme launches its 17th annual photography competition on 14 February, inviting Irish photographers to capture the beauty and character of Ireland's coastline with a €5,000 prize fund.

The Love Your Coast Photography Competition returns for 2026, opening for entries on Valentine's Day and challenging photographers to explore the theme of "Impact" through their lens. The competition invites reflection on how human activities and natural forces shape Ireland's oceans, waterways, and shorelines, and how these environments impact our lives, wellbeing, and communities.

To mark this year's launch, Clean Coasts recently visited Coliemore Harbour in Dalkey for a promotional photoshoot with 2025 overall winner Maria Quigley. Joined by Bobby Gordon, the subject of her winning image, Maria revisited the location where her standout photograph was captured a year earlier, a place that perfectly embodies the connection between people and the coast.

Bronagh Moore, Clean Coasts Programme Manager:

"Every year we look forward to seeing the stunning images that are entered into this competition. We have hugely talented photographers in this country and an amazingly diverse coastline as a subject, so it's an honour to be able to showcase their work and our beautiful coastline through this competition. With 'impact' as our theme this year, I'm looking forward to seeing the ways in which photographers capture how our actions both positive and negative impact on the coast."

The competition features five categories: Coastal Landscape, People and the Coast, Source to Sea, Wildlife and the Coast, and Underwater. Each category highlights different aspects of Ireland's coastal environment, from tranquil waves and dramatic cliffs to vibrant coastal communities and diverse marine wildlife. All photographs must have been taken within the last 24 months.

To support participants, Clean Coasts will publish detailed guidelines and tips from competition judges on their website in the coming weeks. Entries open on 14 February 2026 and close on 15 May 2026.

The competition is supported by the Department of Climate Energy and the Environment and Fáilte Ireland.

Tim Nuttall, Department of Climate Energy and the Environment:

"The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment is proud to be part of An Taisce's Love Your Coast photography competition, which features as one of the annual highlights of their Clean Coasts programme. The message of caring for our marine environment along with the high-quality images themselves which showcase the enormous range of marine biodiversity and seascapes is one which we are more than happy to support."

Shane Dineen, Fáilte Ireland:

"Fáilte Ireland is once again delighted to support the Love Your Coast Photography competition for 2026. The rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean, Irish, and Celtic seas make for endlessly changing sights and when combined with our unpredictable weather provide delight and surprise for locals and visitors alike. The imagery from the photographers each year plays an important role in highlighting the diverse marine wildlife and our maritime heritage on our island. We wish the very best of luck to all entrants as they capture the essence of the Irish coastline."

For more information and to submit entries, visit cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/love-your-coast.