Matt Kavanagh, of The Irish Times, was last night named AIB Press Photographer of the Year 2005 at the annual Press Photographers' Association of Ireland awards in Dublin.
This is the third time he has won the prestigious award.
The AIB PPAI awards reward and commemorate excellence in the field of Irish press photography and showcase some of the most celebrated and distinguished press photographs from the past year.
This year over 125 photographers submitted over 1,400 photographs for consideration by the panel of expert judges.
In emerging as the press photographer of the year, Matt Kavanagh received what is the regarded as the highest accolade awarded annually by the PPAI.
The judging panel commented that the winning photographer's work displayed such a sense of profundity, depth and talent that the photos should become a lasting record of the person or event depicted over the years.
Judges commended Matt Kavanagh on producing a portfolio which demonstrated an all-round ability to capture the essence of a moment with notable flair and precision.
Photographs such as Collector's Corner and The Lap of Luxury were singled out as some of the strongest works amongst an abundance of what judges said were exceptional entries.
President of the PPAI Billy Higgins congratulated Matt Kavanagh on his achievements.
Speaking at last night's gala banquet, AIB managing director Donal Forde concluded that each year the winners of the award demonstrated the highest standards of professional photojournalism and individual creativity.