The west of Ireland has the potential to create an extra 2,000 jobs in the creative sector, according to a new report from the Western Development Commission.
And to highlight the west as Ireland’s “hub for the creative industries” which currently employs some 11,000 in the sector, the WDC is launching a photo competition to coincide with the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Galway.
In association with photo website Pix.ie, the WDC is asking people to “snap and send” their images onto the website for people all over the world to “look west”.
“Through the photos they will see the beauty and the character of the region and that might attract them to consider setting up businesses in the western region,” says regional development executive Joanne Grehan. “With over 335,000 people expected to attend the Galway Volvo Ocean Race Festival we are taking this opportunity to remind visitors that the Western Region has many attractions for anyone thinking of setting up a creative business.”
The WDC is also sponsoring theGalway Art Trail which takes place in Galway during the Volvo Ocean Race Festival.
The recently published report, “Creative West: The creative Sector in the Western Region” showed that when international comparisons were factored in, the west had the potential to create at least 2,000 jobs. The WDC is trying to receive 10,000 images which would set a new Irish record for entries to an online photo competition.
The photo competition is open to all. Participants are asked to simply upload their photos, taken during the Galway Volvo Ocean Race Festival that runs from May 13 to June 6 onto http://pix.ie/go/lookwest. The winners will be chosen by marine sports journalist and photographer David Branigan. Prizes include top of the range digital cameras to a total value of €1,500.
