A murmuration at Dysart on Lough Ennell. Photographer: James Crombie / Inpho Photography. This image took third prize in the Nature and the Environment category.

Local man wins at Press Photographer of Year Awards

Published: Tue 6 Feb 2024, 2:05 PM

Rauhgh man James Crombie (who lives in Ballycommon, County Offaly) has received two accolades at the AIB Press Photographer of the Year Awards.

He was awarded second prize in Sports Action and third prize in the Nature and the Environment category at the 46th annual celebration.

Kilkenny’s Martin Keoghan battles for the ball with Dan Morrissey of Limerick during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final. Photographer:James Crombie / Inpho Photography. This took second prize for Sport Action. Photo by ©INPHO/James Crombie

Alan Betson of The Irish Times was named the AIB Press Photographer of the Year 2024.

An Tánaiste Micheál Martin TD was guest of honour at the event, at the RDS, last Friday.

Broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan introduced the ceremony, and the award-winning and highly commended images, encompassing some of the past year’s many highs and lows through the lenses of Irish press photographers from right across the island of Ireland.

Mr Martin, said: “I want to congratulate all the winners of tonight’s awards. The skills and experience necessary to be able to capture and tell the truthful story of an event, a moment, an emotion in a single image, are truly invaluable.

“They are especially so in an increasingly unpredictable world with emerging AI capability, social media manipulation and aggressive misinformation and disinformation campaigns. Our society benefits enormously from this vital work.”

In thanking AIB and the event sponsors, the president of the Press Photographers Association of Ireland, David Branigan, said: “This year’s winning and highly commended images truthfully highlight many of the difficult moments of 2023, both in Ireland and internationally through the medium of powerful press photography.

“At an increasingly rapid rate, these images and their creators are of growing value to society.”

Awards were presented in 10 categories; News, Daily Life and People, Sports Action, Sports Feature, Portrait, Nature and the Environment, Politics, Arts and Entertainment, Reportage and Multimedia in addition to the AIB Sustainability Award.

Also recognised at the event, attended by 200 press photographers and guests, was PPAI member Jerry Kennelly, who was conferred with Honorary Membership in recognition of his commitment to press photography over many decades and his outstanding business success.

This edition of the awards is the final under the Press Photographers of Ireland Association organisation, which has now been legally incorporated as ‘Press Photographers Ireland CLG’, and will continue the 46-year tradition and values of editorial photography.

The judging panel was again led by former picture editor of The Irish Times, Frank Miller, alongside judges Helen Healy, former head of Pictures at the Financial Times, and Shaun Botterill of Getty Images.

Journalist Philip Bromwell and former RTÉ cameraman Michael Lee led the judging of the Multimedia category.

They selected the winning and highly commended images and video from more than 1,200 entries entered by members of the PPAI.

All the winning and short-listed images from the ‘AIB Press Photographer of the Year’ 2024 can be viewed at the touring exhibition visiting various venues across the country over the coming year.

The first visit on the exhibition tour will be the Library at the RDS, until Thursday February 15; it will then visit dlr LexIcon in Dun Laoghaire, in March.

For further details on the exhibition and to view the winning images, www.pressphotographers.ie.