Winners announced for the national ‘Salmon of Colour’ Competition

Two young artists have been selected as winners of the ‘The Salmon of Colour’ colouring competition which was organised by Inland Fisheries Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History to mark International Year of the Salmon. Maisy, age 8 was selected as the winner of the 8-11 category while Molly, age 12 scooped the top prize in the older 12-14 category.

There were over 1000 participants for the competition, which ran throughout the summer months, with artists asked to colour in the designated image of the lifecycle of an Atlantic salmon. The winners will now receive a €100 voucher for the National Museum of Ireland- Natural History shop and a private, guided tour of the museum. The competition was delivered as part of awareness raising activities for International Year of the Salmon, which aims to engage the public around the challenges facing salmon today.

Speaking about the competition, Suzanne Campion, Head of Business Development at Inland Fisheries Ireland said: “We are delighted that so many children took part and have engaged with us on the issues affecting salmon populations today by colouring in the salmon lifecycle and learning more about the importance of this fish and the precious nature of its existence across the Northern Hemisphere.”

Lorraine Comer, Head of Education at the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History said: “We are pleased to announce the two winners of ‘The Salmon of Colour’ competition as part of our joint programme of events with Inland Fisheries Ireland in celebration of the International Year of the Salmon. The competition had a large uptake and we would like to congratulate all of the participants involved and we look forward to similar activities in the future. We strive to get young people to come to our Museum and enjoy their visit; therefore the Education Department are very much looking forward to giving the two prize winners a guided tour.”

In addition to the ‘Salmon of Colour’ Colouring Competition, Inland Fisheries Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland partnered on a one day Fishy Fun event in July which engaged the general public around the fisheries resource and the importance of its conservation through a range of interactive activities for International Year of the Salmon.

International Year of the Salmon (IYS) which is a world-wide initiative of the North Atlantic Salmon Organisation (NASCO) and the North Pacific Anadromous Fish Commission (NPAFC). The initiative hopes to raise awareness around the different challenges facing salmon today with a view to creating a framework for international outreach and research.