Judges blown away by quality of readers’ pictures

A baby chick’s first moments of life captured on camera took the top prize in the Irish Examiner Readers’ Pictures Competition.

Donna Foran, from Wexford, stunned the judges with the picture — on today’s front page — captured at her friend’s homestead in Wellingtonbridge and realised instantly that she had set a new bar for her photography. However, she said she was “stunned” to learn she had won first prize in the annual competition.

“I was floored really, absolutely thrilled. I am a keen photographer but it’s a hobby really. I entered the competition last year and put two entries in this year. I am just over the moon. My friend Patricia owns a homestead and I called her and asked her to let me know when something was hatching. So she texted me one Sunday to let me know a chicken was hatching and off I went and got the photo. I knew when I saw it that it was a striking image and it’s so different,” she said.