Competition for the best dressed building or shop in Kill to celebrate the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, hosted by the Rory Foundation will be staged at The K Club this May (19-22) and Dubai Duty Free, together with the European Tour and Kildare County Council are calling on traders, residents and community groups in North Kildare to dress their businesses in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open theme and colours. The best dressed shop front or building will win €3,000, courtesy of Dubai Duty Free and the owner, or nominated staff member will be a guest with a friend on final day in the private, VIP Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Pavilion which overlooks the 18th green at The K Club.

The initiative is the brain child of Dubai Duty Free who is working with Kildare County Council in order to engage with various community groups, tidy towns, residents and business owners in six towns and villages in the environs of The K Club. It also links very well with Kildare County Council's own 'Open Kildare' programme which has been developed to attract people to the county for the tournament. The areas which are included in the competition include, Straffan, Ardclough, Clane, Maynooth, Leixlip and Celbridge.

Displays should be as creative and as individual as possible but must include the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open golf theme and branding in some way. Entrants could also be inspired by travel, Dubai or by Rory McIlroy and branded flags and bunting will be available for participants to use in their own displays. To enter, simply register your interest with O'Brien PR before the 25th of April by emailing ddfgolf@obrienpr.com and once your display is created email a photograph or video to the same email address. A panel of judges will select the top 5 best displays/shop front or best dressed building from the entries. The final winner will be selected by the Dubai Duty Free Executive Team on Tuesday the 17th of May 2016 and the winner will be presented with his/her prize at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open on Sunday, 22nd of May 2016.

Branded flags and bunting along with Dubai Duty Free Irish Open A3 posters can be picked up from The Pro Shop at The K Club from May 1st or from Brigid Butler, Kildare County Council representative. The posters will have the official branding and art work on them but will also have a blank section which participants can use to write in details of any special offers or late night openings they will be running to coincide with the tournament.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free said, "We are delighted to engage with the local communities in the area and are really pleased to announce the launch of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Best Dressed Competition. It's really heartening for us to see such support and interest in the tournament and we are delighted that the local community groups, residents and traders are so supportive of it. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open will attract some of the world's best golfers to Ireland and will be a great showcase for County Kildare as the eyes of the media will be focused on all of the golfing action at The K Club. It will also bring throngs of visitors to the locality and with that, lots of business for shops, pubs, restaurants and hotels. We are really looking forward to seeing the displays in the competition and wish all the entrants the very best of luck."

This is the second year for Dubai Duty Free to be the title sponsor of the prestigious Irish Open and follows the huge success of the championship at Royal County Down in 2015 – a 'sold-out' tournament, which attracted more than 100,000 fans. This year, the prize fund for the 2016 championship has risen by a staggering 60 per cent, rising from €2.5 million this year to €4 million. The tournament will once again be hosted by the Rory Foundation and a percentage of ticket sales will go directly to the Rory Foundation. Local charities in the Kildare/Dublin region will also benefit from the proceeds. These include Barretstown, The Jack & Jill Foundation and Laura Lynn Children's Hospice.

Entrants for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Best Dressed Competition need to register their interest before 25th April 2016 by simply emailing their contact details to ddfgolf@obrienpr.com. Bunting, flags and posters are free of charge to use in displays and will be available from the 1st of May. For further details on the competition or to pick up display material contact Maxine Strain at O'Brien. Email ddfgolf@obrienpr.comO'Brien PR (045) 407017 or call Brigid Butler, Kildare Council on (087) 223 6558.

Tickets for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open are now on sale and can be purchased online at www.dubaidutyfreeirishopen.com