Donegal Bay Humpback Whale snap wins prestigious photography competition

A Donegal photographer won a prestigious photography competition for a photo taken of a humpback whale at Donegal Bay.

Tom Ormond won the Wildlife and the Coast category in the 2025 Love Your Coast Photography Awards.

“While on an afternoon boat trip in Donegal Bay last November, I experienced this magical moment when a Humpback Whale tail fluked as the setting sun lit up the cliffs at Sliabh Liag in the distance,” explained Tom.

Over 560 photographers entered a total of 1,178 photos for a placement in the top three in one of five categories, and their share of the €5,000 prize fund and for a shot at the title of Photographer of the Year.

Dublin photographer, Maria Quigley, was named as the overall winner of the 2025 Love Your Coast photography competition, whilst a trio of Donegal photographers managed to place in the top three of their respective competition categories. 

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In the Connecting with the Coast category, the category won by Maria Quigley, joint third place went to two photos taken by the Donegal coast. 

Darragh Gorman’s image ‘Play,’ a perfectly timed shot of a surfer and their instructor playing in the surf at Rossnowlagh Beach, and Sasha Coen’s image ‘Out of my Depth,’ which showcased a bright but blustery day at Sheephaven Bay, were highlighted in the Connecting with the Coast category.

Brendan Alexander came in third place in the Coastal Landscape category, with his image, ‘Milky Way over the Murder Hole,’ taken at Murder Hole Beach.’ The image captured a night sky featuring a Milky Way over the iconic beach.