James Crombie has been named as the Press Photographer of the Year for the second year in a row. The Inpho agency photographer took the main prize at the annual awards of the Press Photographers Association of Ireland during a live Zoom awards ceremony on Friday night.
Crombie’s portfolio was cited by the judges as “the outstanding portfolio of the awards”. He received three category awards , including first prize in nature and the environment for “Murmuration”, what the judges coined as “picture of the year”. The photo, which featured on the front page of The Irish Times, beautifully captured a starling murmuration creating the shape of a bird over Lough Ennell.
Irish Times videographer and photographer Bryan O'Brien was again the winner of the multimedia category. His winning entry captured the devastating effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the rural Irish pub. The work centres on four family-owned bars in and around Boyle, Co Roscommon, all struggling to survive.
WINNERS
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PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
James Crombie (Inpho)
MULTIMEDIA AWARD – Bryan O'Brien (The Irish Times)
NEWS – 1, Michael Mac Sweeney (Provision); 2, Steve Humphreys (Independent News & Media); 3, Ray McManus (Sportsfile)
DAILY LIFE AND PEOPLE – 1, Marc O'Sullivan (Marc O'Sullivan Photography); 2, Mark Condren (Independent News & Media); 3, James Crombie (Inpho)
SPORTS ACTION – 1, Eoin Noonan (Sportsfile); 2, Clodagh Kilcoyne (Reuters); 3, Morgan Treacy (Inpho)
SPORTS FEAT URE – 1, Eoin Noonan (Sportsfile); 2, Morgan Treacy (Inpho); 3, James Crombie (Inpho)
PORTRAIT– 1, Kenneth O'Halloran (Freelance) 2, Mark Condren (Independent News & Media); 3, Niall Carson (PA Media)
NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT – 1, James Crombie (Inpho); 2, Gary Ashe (Freelance); 3, Clodagh Kilcoyne (Reuters)
POLITICS – 1, Daragh Mc Sweeney (Provision); 2, Niall Carson (PA Media); 3, Brian Lawless (PA Media)
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT– 1, Niall Carson (PA Media); 2, Philip Doyle (Irish Farmers Journal); 3, Mark Stedman (Mark Stedman Photography)
REPORTAGE – 1, Gerry Mooney (Independent News & Media); 2, Clodagh Kilcoyne (Reuters); 3, Valerie O'Sullivan (Freelance)