Sponsors announced for Neill O’Neill creative competition

Ciara Galvin

FOLLOWING the announcement of The Mayo News Creative Competition in memory of the newspaper’s late managing editor, Neill O’Neill, The Mayo News is delighted to officially announce the awards’ sponsors.
The inaugural competition will invite national school pupils, secondary school students and adults to submit a sample of art, photography or writing based on the theme, ‘What Mayo Means to Me’. As a former president of Westport Chamber of Commerce, Neill worked closely with the business community of Westport and indeed the local authority, therefore it is very fitting that three prominent and well-respected organisations have come on board as sponsors of this special competition.
O’Connor’s Supervalu (Kavanagh Group), Westport; Portwest and Mayo.ie have kindly agreed to each sponsor a category.
Commenting, Mayo News Editor Michael Duffy said each sponsor’s involvement was very much appreciated. “When we set out to organise a competition in Neill’s memory, we were conscious that Neill was heavily involved with so many organisations. We really appreciate the generosity of each sponsor in making this competition a reality and something that will honour Neill’s memory and his many creative talents.”
The judges of the writing category are veteran journalist and sports columnist SeΡn Rice; Mayo News Living Editor and Chief Sub Editor Ciara Moynihan and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Writer-In-Residence Elizabeth Reapy.
The panel tasked with judging the art entries are established Mayo-based artists Breda Burns and Marie Wood and GMIT lecturer in Art History, Contemporary Art Theory and Creativity in Social Care John Mulloy, while respected photographers Michael McLaughlin, Frank Dolan and Alison Laredo will adjudicate the photography categories.
Further details of the competition’s rules, guidelines and submission deadlines will be published in next week’s paper.