Sharpen those lenses, Ireland’s most creative photographers are being sought for ‘The Snapys’

Get snappin', folks.

Global technology company Huawei and ‘The Snapys’ are reimagining their Instagram photography competition in order to find the most creative person in Ireland. The competition enters its third year as Huawei Creatives, an initiative to sponsor and celebrate Irish talent. The 2018 Huawei Creatives will maintain the competition format that will offer the winner what organisers describe as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity", although the exact details have yet to be confirmed. After reaching over three million interactions last year, this year's competition is adding two new additions, the People's Choice awards and the Judge's Choice awards. 20 people will be chosen for each category - 10 by popular vote and 10 by a non-partisan judging panel, with votes not taken into consideration. Entrants can submit images in 13 categories: Travel, Ireland, Fashion, Dublin, People, Black & White, Action Shot, Pets, Food, Social Entrepreneur, Community & Voluntary, Change, Makers and Artistic Minds. The initial 20 people shortlisted in each of the categories will be narrowed down to a category winner, who will receive a Huawei Mate 10 Pro, the company's new flagship device. The overall winner will then be chosen from the 13 category winners by an international judging panel. Commenting on this year’s shakeup, Zena Ross, Huawei Ireland’s Marketing Manager says: "We wanted to work with The Snapys to elevate the competition’s purpose. This year will take a new angle where each category will be designed around an existing creative community - it is not just about photography but about empowering and recognising all forms of creativity and passion." Last year’s fashion category winner, David Gannon, went on to win DCU’s Hybrid Photographer of the Year. In addition, Liz Stowe, the Huawei Snapys overall winner, was sent to Shenzhen, China in January 2017 to capture nine images over the week, while being coached by four mentors. To enter simply upload your image on Instagram using #huaweicreatives and the relevant category hashtag.