Photographers encouraged to capture beauty of Donegal coastline for annual contest

This Valentine's Day, An Taisce’s Clean Coasts Programme invites Donegal photographers to fall in love with the coast, with the return of the ‘Love Your Coast’ photography competition for 2026.

Now in its 17th year, the Love Your Coast contest continues to attract hundreds of photographers from across the country – and, with some of Ireland’s most stunning coastal landscapes, Donegal snappers generally feature prominently.

This year, Clean Coasts encourages photographers to consider the theme of Impact when they take to the coast to snap their photos, as the lens through which they explore the ever-evolving relationship between people, nature, and the coast.

The theme invites reflection on both the positive and negative ways our oceans, waterways, and shorelines are shaped by human activities and natural forces, and how these environments, in turn, can impact our lives, wellbeing, and communities.

From conservation and care to pollution and climate pressures, photographers are encouraged to capture how these vital blue spaces are impacted by our actions, and how time spent along the coast impacts those who visit them.

Offering an overall prize fund of €5000 for category winners, Love Your Coast offers photographers the opportunity to showcase their talent across five distinct areas.

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Each of these categories highlights different aspects of Ireland’s coastal environment, celebrating our unique coastline: Coastal Landscape; People and the Coast; Source to Sea; Wildlife and the Coast; and Underwater.

These categories invite photographers to capture the diverse and breathtaking elements of Donegal’s coastline, celebrating its natural wonders and the vital connection between people and the sea.

To support participants, Clean Coasts will provide helpful resources and guidelines for photographers to optimise their skills and submissions. This includes a detailed guide with tips from the competition judges and information on each category, which will be published on the website in the coming weeks.

Entries open on Valentine’s Day, February 14th 2026, and close on May 15th 2026.

For more information about Love Your Coast and to submit your entries, please visit https://cleancoasts.org/our-initiatives/love-your-coast/