Winners Announced in National “Our Ireland, Our EU” Photo Competition

Six winning photographers have been announced in the inaugural “Our Ireland, Our EU” Photo Competition, a national initiative celebrating the positive impact of Government of Ireland and EU co-funded projects and initiatives across Ireland.

Organised by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and hosted on EUFunds.ie, the competition invited members of the public to capture photographs highlighting how European Union funding is making a difference in communities throughout the country.

As Manging Authority for the EU Just Transition Fund, EMRA has been proudly supporting the running of this competition.

The competition received 164 entries from across Ireland. Following eligibility checks, 82 photographs were published for public voting. More than 2,600 voters cast votes during the public voting period.

The competition featured two categories:

Category 1 – EU-Funded Projects: Places & Spaces
Category 2 – EU-Funded Activities: People & Participation

The winners, determined by public vote, are:

Category 1 – EU-Funded Projects: Places & Spaces

Place	Winner	Photograph	Location	EU Fund
First	Ruth Tapial	Vigilant Commodore	Cresent Quay, Wexford	ERDF
Second	Kartikeya Rana	There’s room here for all of us	Dún Laoghaire Baths, Dublin	ERDF
Third	Jessica Dale	I Am (On Time)	Kent Train Station, Cork	NRRP

Category 2 – EU-Funded Activities: People & Participation

Place	Winner	Photograph	Location	EU Fund
First	Claudia Finnerty	Summer at the Pier	Aughris Pier, Sligo	BAR
Second	Aoife Claffey	Interwoven Networks	MTU, Cork	ERDF
Third	Dr Alan Magee	When robots draw the line	MTU, Cork	ERDF

In addition to the photography prizes, all registered voters were entered into a draw for a €1,500 Abbey Travel voucher, awarded to Gráinne Mullen, Co Sligo, who was selected at random.

Minister Jack Chambers TD said:

“The photographs submitted to the competition beautifully capture the real-world impact of EU investment in communities across Ireland. Through their creativity and storytelling, the winning photographers have helped illustrate how EU funding supports people, places and opportunities throughout the country.”

The winners will be presented with their prizes by Minister Chambers at a ceremony in Government Buildings in mid July 2026.

The Department would like to thank everyone who entered the competition, participated in the public vote and helped highlight the contribution of Government of Ireland and EU co-funded projects and programmes across Ireland.

For more information and to view the winning entries, visit:

https://eufunds.ie/photo-competition/winners/