Royal Caribbean has named a Dublin tour guide as the winner of its Intern-ship of the Seas Instagram competition.
Ciara Flynn was chosen from more than 75,000 people from UK and Ireland to win £3,000 and travel for three weeks this summer on three Royal Caribbean ships, across three oceans.
Entrants had to upload a picture which would inspire travel using the hashtag #ExtraordinaryExplorer.
A judging panel of travel blogger Johnny Ward, Travel Weekly editor-in-chief Lucy Huxley and Royal Caribbean’s Ben Bouldin chose Ciara as the winner with her picture of two young Buddhist monks at Kathmandu, taken before her trek to Mount Everest.
Ciara works as a tour guide for European coach network operator Busabout.
She said: “Becoming Royal Caribbean’s Extraordinary Explorer is the experience of a lifetime.
“I’ve always loved photography and have been doing it for as long as I can remember.
“Capturing the magic in the ordinary moments of life tells a much richer story than words ever could, so I’m thrilled to be able to get the chance to do this with Royal Caribbean.”
Despite the competition only being open to UK and Ireland winners, globally more than 330,000 people entered.
Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean managing director UK and Ireland, spoke of his confidence in Ciara’s photo-taking ability and said she would be ideal for the Intern-ship this summer.
He said: “Ciara’s entry was everything we were looking for when we launched our Instagram ‘Intern-ship’ and we’re thrilled to be able to offer this experience to someone who already has such passion for the travel industry.
“Her image has strong visual appeal, originality and inspires viewers to jump out of the ordinary and explore the world.
“Most importantly, it also captures a subtle but amazing moment that draws the viewer into her story.”