Five Donegal astrophotographers shortlisted for DIAS awards

Five Donegal astrophotographers have been selected for the next stage of the prestigious ‘Reach for the Stars’ astrophotography competition.

The photographers shortlisted are Letterkenny’s Daragh McDonough, Clifford Brown Ozgun Ozdemir, Patryk Sadowski and Treasa Giblin Frazer, from Lifford.

Daragh McDonough: Crescent Moon Over Tory Island

Now in its fourth year, the competition which is run by the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) aims to find the best astrophotographs taken in Ireland over the past year. The winning images selected by the judging panel and the public vote will be announced in July, and an outdoor exhibition will be staged by DIAS to showcase the best images.

Clifford Brown: Northern Lights in Donegal

McDonough has been shortlisted in the ‘Out of this World – Planetary’ category for his image ‘Crescent Moon over Tory Island’. Clifford Brown’s 'Northern Lights in Donegal' image is under the Night Sky in Your Hand category. Ozdemir has been shortlisted in the ‘Back on Earth - Landscape’ category for his image ‘Northern Lights at Dunfanaghy’. 

Ozgun Ozdemir: Northern Lights at Dunfanaghy

Patryk Sadowski’s 'Fanad Head - Aurora 2024' photography is included in the Back on Earth – Landscape section and his “Pink Moon Rising Over Grianan” is categorised as Back on Earth - Landmark. Giblin Frazer has been shortlisted in the ‘Back on Earth – Landscape’ category for her image ‘Aurora Rainbow’.

Patryk Sadowski: Pink Moon Rising Over Grianan

While a high-profile judging panel will select the overall winning entries in the coming weeks, an online vote was launched today. so members of the public can also have their say. Votes for the Public Choice Award are restricted to one vote per person, and voting will close at midday on Friday, July 5. You can cast your vote here.  

Treasa Giblin Frazer: Aurora Rainbow

Over 230 images were submitted to the competition in total this year – the most ever received – with 50 selected for the shortlist and public vote. Entrants were invited to submit entries across five distinct categories in the competition:

1.     Night Sky in Your Hand: Images taken with only a smartphone, and without telescopes, of an astronomical scene.
2.     Out of this World – Planetary: Images of the planets, sun and moon.
3.     Out of this World – Deep Sky: Images of celestial objects that exist outside our solar system such as nebulae, star clusters, and galaxies.
4.     Back on Earth – Landscape: Images that depict a feature of astronomical interest as a prominent feature and elements such as nature, land or water.
5.     Back on Earth – Landmark: Images that depict a feature of astronomical interest as a prominent feature and elements such as cityscapes, buildings, houses, historical structures or monuments.

Alongside the winner of the Public Choice Award, the overall winners will be chosen by the judging panel for ‘Reach for the Stars’, which includes: Professor Peter Gallagher, Head of Astrophysics at DIAS; Brenda Fitzsimons, Picture Editor of The Irish Times; Michael McCreary, President of the Irish Astronomical Society; and Niamh Breathnach, Director, Alice Public Relations. Six prizes will be awarded in total. 

Dr Eucharia Meehan, CEO and Registrar of DIAS, said: “The online public vote to select the winner of the Public Choice Award is a chance for the public to have their say in this year’s top astro-photographs. The online exhibition is a great opportunity for people to learn about our solar system, the galaxies around us and what lies in the night sky. It will be a difficult task to choose a favourite from the shortlisted entries.

“I’m so impressed by the level of creativity and skill we have amongst photographers in Donegal and right across the country. This year has seen the highest number of entries in the history of the competition, and we hope to see the interest in our night skies continue to grow.”

DIAS’s ‘Reach for the Stars’ competition is being run in partnership with The Irish Times, and is sponsored by Alice Public Relations and the Astronomical Observatories of Ireland. The Irish Astronomical Society are initiative supporters.