Belfast Zoo's 33rd Annual Photographic Competition winners announced

The winners of Belfast Zoo's annual photographic competition have been announced.
Overall winner and 1st prize in category A, best photo ... a club photographer - Barbary lion by Gareth O'CathainOverall winner and 1st prize in category A, best photo ... a club photographer - Barbary lion by Gareth O'Cathain
Overall winner and 1st prize in category A, best photo ... a club photographer - Barbary lion by Gareth O'Cathain

The competition, which has been running for 33 years, challenges budding and amateur photographers to creatively photograph the animals and scenes of the zoo, capturing the wonder of nature, exhibiting photographic excellent and displaying high quality skills.

Zoo curator and competition judge, Alyn Cairns, said “Despite the fact that the competition has been running for more than 30 years, we are always stunned by the standard of the submissions, as well as the quality and skill demonstrated by entrants. With 370 entries, the photographs certainly highlighted the beauty and diversity of the species that we care for and the winning entries have ranged from snaps of tiny pied tamarins to our beautiful giants, the Asian elephants and Rothschild’s giraffes."

The winners were:

2nd prize in category A, best photograph taken by a club photographer - Temminck's golden cat by William Allen2nd prize in category A, best photograph taken by a club photographer - Temminck's golden cat by William Allen
2nd prize in category A, best photograph taken by a club photographer - Temminck's golden cat by William Allen

Category A - best picture taken by a club photographer

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1st prize and overall winner – Gareth O’Cathain (BelfastPhoto Imaging Club)

2nd prize – William Allen (Central Photographic Association)

3rd prize – Robert Sergeant (Central Photographic Association)

1st prize in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - Temminck's golden cat by Philip Hutton1st prize in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - Temminck's golden cat by Philip Hutton
1st prize in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - Temminck's golden cat by Philip Hutton

highly commended – Stephen Haydon (Central Photographic Association)

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highly commended – Raymond Hughes (Merville Newtownabbey Photographic Club)

highly commended - Gareth O’Cathain (Belfast Photo Imaging Club)

Category B - best picture taken by a zoo visitor

Highly commended in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - capaybaras by Susan WenlockHighly commended in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - capaybaras by Susan Wenlock
Highly commended in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - capaybaras by Susan Wenlock

1st prize – Philip Hutton

2nd prize – Philip Hutton

3rd prize – Gemma Vennard

highly commended – Susan Wenlock

Highly commended in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - pied tamarin by Fiona BeattieHighly commended in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - pied tamarin by Fiona Beattie
Highly commended in category B, best photograph taken by a zoo visitor - pied tamarin by Fiona Beattie

highly commended – Katie Price

highly commended – Fiona Beattie

Category C - best black and white picture

1st prize – Peter Lennon

2nd prize- Gareth O’Cathain

3rd prize – Joe Beattie

2nd prize in category A, best photograph taken by a club photographer - Temminck's golden cat by William Allen2nd prize in category A, best photograph taken by a club photographer - Temminck's golden cat by William Allen
2nd prize in category A, best photograph taken by a club photographer - Temminck's golden cat by William Allen

highly commended – Robert Sergeant

highly commended – Joe Beattie

highly commended – Fiona Beattie

Category D - best funny caption

1st prize – Joe Beattie

highly commended – Daniel Marshall

highly commended – Gwyneth Sergeant

Category E - best picture taken by someone under 16

1st prize – Alexander Allen

highly commended – Fiona Beattie

highly commended – Caleb Wenlock