Clean Coasts, the charity programme run through the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, has announced that its 13th annual ‘Love Your Coast’ photography competition is open for submissions.
The Love Your Coast competition asks amateur photographers to capture and celebrate the uniqueness of our coastal communities, environments, or waterways such as its stunning coastline, beautiful beaches, epic cliff faces, and raging rivers.   
The Louth/ Meath region has some spectacular coastlines and rivers and also some very talented photographers who are being encouraged to get out their cameras this summer as they explore the Irish coast and capture its beauty.
Last year Louth photographer Adrian McCarthy came third in the People and the Coast category for their photo “Saviour of the Sea” which was taken on Clogherhead Beach and Dave Stanley was shortlisted in the People and the Coast category for his image “Winter Sunset Swim“
Photographers have until 9 am on Monday the 29th August 2022 to submit their best images in one of five categories to be in with the chance to win a prize fund of €5,000 across all categories.
The categories for this year include:
- Wildlife and Underwater
- Coastal Landscape 
- People and the Coast  
- Coastal Heritage  
- Creativity and the Coast 
This photograph, entitled “Winter Sunset Swim”, taken by Bettystown photographer Dave Stanley, was shortlisted in the top ten images in the People and the Coast category last year.
Photographers are encouraged to explore new and different methods and angles in capturing the coastal regions and wildlife and would discourage photographing of locations and species that have been heavily submitted in previous years.
Working with communities on the ground, Clean Coasts’ mission is to help foster pride in our coastline, supporting Clean Coasts communities, groups, and volunteers to tackle issues affecting their local area. 
This competition provides an opportunity to view the coast and our waterways that the Clean Coasts programme works to protect from a completely different perspective and see the beauty captured therein.  
Clean Coast manager Sinead McCoy said: “The Clean Coasts programme works with communities and supports them in their efforts to protect our coastline. What the Love Your Coast Photography competition does is augment this work by showcasing our breathtaking coastline which helps foster and inspire both the public and communities to protect it into the future.”
To find out more about the competition and how to enter, see: at: https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/love-your-coast/
To see a gallery of all the shortlisted images from 2021, see: https://cleancoasts.exposure.co/love-your-coast-2021
“Saviour of the Sea” which was taken by Adrian McCarthy at Clogherhead Beach was the third place image in the People and the Coast competition last year.
