Surrounded By Sea
Announcing the Winners of the 2025 photography competition Surrounded By Sea celebrating life at the edge of the sea.
Refugee Rescue in partnership with Belfast Exposed Gallery are delighted to announce the opening of the digital exhibition, Surrounded By Sea, launching Thursday 6th November 2025 on the Street View platform in Donegall Street, Belfast.
The exhibition will be viewable in the gallery and online, showcasing the winning and selected photographs from the participants.
Surrounded By Sea invited photographers of all levels to reflect on our shared connections with the sea — its beauty, its power, and the stories it holds. The initiative marks the 10th anniversary of Refugee Rescue, a Northern Ireland–based NGO that has rescued over 25,000 lives in the Mediterranean Sea since 2015. All proceeds from the competition support Refugee Rescue’s continuing humanitarian missions.
Curated by photographers Helen Sloan and Stuart Bailie, with Deirdre Robb, Director at Belfast Exposed, the exhibition highlights personal and collective relationships with the sea through image, memory, and emotion.
“We were struck by the emotional depth and visual power of this year’s entries,” said curator Helen Sloan. “Every photograph offered a unique way of seeing, from painterly quiet to fearless adventure, and together they form a deeply moving portrait of our relationship with the sea.”
“This exhibition is both a celebration and a reminder,” added Stuart Bailie. “It reminds us that the sea connects us all — through beauty, migration, and memory.”
2025 Competition Winners
1st Place – Sophie Bluestone
No. 22: Surfing the waves in their kayak, Freshwater, Isle of Wight
Jury comments:
“A well-timed, well-composed shot. Captures the energy, the sea power, and the intrepid human – all together.
Love the sense of forging forward through choppy waters and frightening terrain.
Compositionally and technically impressive.”
2nd Place – Fionn Mcarthur
No. 16: Captured along the northernmost shoreline of Lesvos island, near Skala Sykamineas (December 2017)
Jury comments:
“A painterly eye, nicely envisaged. The splash of red on the roof of the boat is reminiscent of a Constable landscape.
Beautifully composed and full of quiet strength.”
3rd Place – Patrick Beevers
No. 13: A serene day off the west lighthouse on Rathlin Island. A sailing yacht embracing the freedom and stillness of the vast Atlantic Ocean.
Jury comments:
“Nicely composed with a vintage appeal. Love the juxtaposition of isolation but also peace.
Compositionally beautiful – the vast ocean beyond and the sailors’ small safe space.”
Special Mention – Jane McComb
No. 41: Belfast Lough, 12th July – All is calm.
Jury comments:
“Striking and almost abstract. A poetic eye and painterly quality reminiscent of Edward Weston’s vision of Californian beauty.
We loved the abstract, painterly quality of this image.”
DETAILS:
About Refugee Rescue
Founded in 2015, Refugee Rescue is a Northern Ireland–based NGO dedicated to saving lives at sea. Working in the Mediterranean, their rescue vessel MoChara (“My Friend”) has saved over 25,000 people fleeing war, persecution, and danger. Funds raised through Surrounded By Sea will help support the next phase of their lifesaving work.
Exhibition Details
Title: Surrounded By Sea – Digital Exhibition
Opening: Thursday 6th November 2025
Venue: Belfast Exposed Gallery, 23 Donegall Street, Belfast
Online: www.belfastexposed.org
Presented by: Refugee Rescue, in collaboration with Belfast Exposed
Curators: Helen Sloan, Stuart Bailie, and Deirdre Robb
Press Enquiries
For images, interviews, or additional information, please contact:
Sophie Rasmussen
On behalf of the Surrounded By Sea Jury and Refugee Rescue Team
sophie@refugeerescue.org – 0044 7973531655
www.surroundedbysea.org