“Surrounded By Sea” photography competition launches to celebrate our coastal connection and support Refugee Rescue
Belfast, Northern Ireland – 2nd June 2025 – Refugee Rescue is proud to launch Surrounded By Sea on 2nd June, a new photography competition inviting people of all ages to explore and express their personal connections to the sea.
Photos can be taken on a phone or camera and uploaded to the Surrounded By Sea platform (www.surroundedbysea.org). There are no technical skills required – it’s just your photo.
The competition, open from 1st June, will culminate in a public exhibition at Belfast Exposed Gallery from 17–23 October 2025, with all proceeds supporting the purchase of a new rescue vessel for local NGO Refugee Rescue’s frontline humanitarian work.
Irish musician Hozier has submitted a lovely photograph and quote, “Over the past year or so, I’ve spent more time in the sea with friends. For me, it’s become a place of community, marking the beginning or end of the day, and feeling grateful.”
The exhibition is curated by local photographers Helen Sloan and Stuart Bailie, along with curator Dr Jose Neves from Belfast Exposed.
Helen Sloan says, “Living in a coastal nation, the sea surrounds and shapes us—culturally, emotionally, and physically. Surrounded By Sea asks anybody who loves taking pictures to capture that relationship, whether through moments of calm reflection, untamed natural beauty, cultural traditions, or the daily rhythms of coastal life.”
A curated selection of images will be featured in the Surrounded By Sea exhibition. 100% of proceeds go towards funding a new rescue boat for Refugee Rescue.
“Photography has a unique power to reflect both the beauty and the complexity of our relationship with the sea,”
Says Joby Fox, co-founder of Refugee Rescue, “Through this competition, we want to celebrate that connection and channel it into something life-saving.”
The Surrounded By Sea competition is part of Refugee Rescue’s 10th anniversary campaign. Since 2015, the organisation has rescued over 25,000 people fleeing war, persecution, and danger across the Mediterranean. Their trusted vessel MoChara has served its time and must now be replaced to continue their missions.
Panelist Stuart Bailie says, “I’m very pleased to support the Surrounded by Sea project. The cause is a great one, and the mix of art and humanitarian intervention will surely inspire some powerful images.”
Refugee Rescue is asking people to pick up a camera, go to the coast, and show us what the sea means to them. By doing so, they’ll also be helping to save lives at sea.
- Theme: Surrounded By Sea
- Who Can Enter: Open to all. £10 per photo entry. All proceeds go to charity and voluntary NGO Refugee Rescue – refugeerescue.org
- Deadline for Entries: 3rd Oct 2025
- How to Enter: Visit www.surroundedbysea.org for guidelines and submission portal
- Exhibition Dates: 17–23 October 2025 at Belfast Exposed Gallery
- Prizes: photographic equipment, photo print vouchers, dinner for two. Details to be announced.
Curators / competition panel
- HELEN SLOAN is a television and feature film photographer based in Belfast, Ireland and Iceland, working worldwide. She is known for her role as principal stills photographer for the hit HBO series “GAME OF THRONES” for which she shot all 8 seasons of unit photography. Sloan is a Nikon Europe Ambassador & the European Vice President of the SMPSP (Society of Motion Picture Stills Photographers)
- STUART BAILIE is an author and music journalist, based in Belfast. His books include Trouble Songs and Terri Hooley: Seventy Five Revolutions. He is also a keen photographer and has had solo exhibitions at Belfast Exposed, Eastside Visitor Centre and Ards International Guitar Festival.
- Dr JOSE NEVES is the Curator of Photography at Belfast Exposed Gallery and holds a PhD from Ulster University. Before his current work and research, he completed the Photographic History and Practice postgraduate programme at De Montfort University in Leicester, and worked at the Wilson Centre for Photography in London as an assistant curator.
