“We were really, really very impressed with the standard of entries this year. There were some really lovely images entered and in all honesty at least ten entries merited serious consideration for prizes. In the end though we had to narrow it down and we settled on the charming picture of the duckling catching flies by Darrell Arnone as our overall winner.

There were several reasons for this – first and foremost it is a delightful image, there is a sense of wonder as the young duckling comes to terms with it’s survival by catching its food, there is the beautiful texture and colours of the water and the magical summer light. But perhaps the clincher was that the image captures not just a single species trying to survive but the swarming flies and the interdependence of the natural world.”

— Our judges this year were Frank Miller, former Photo Editor of the Irish Times, and Alan Betson, Photographer for the Irish Times.