Top 80 Finalists for Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2021

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
The international jury of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image award has selected the 80 best pictures taken this year by photographers based all around the world. Entries from 126 professional photographers, representing 23 nations, submitted their best photo for the 2021 edition of the competition.

The pool of entries was reduced to 80 by the five members of the international jury: Jo Aleh (NZL), Gilles Martin-Raget (FRA), Glenn Ashby (AUS), Nicolas Mirabaud (SUI), and Anne-Cécile Turner (FRA).

Two prizes will be announced in December: the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award (main prize) selected by the international jury and the ‘Public Award’ based on the number of public votes cast on the Internet. Public voting is open from today until November 3.

However, it is of some confusion as to how many of the entries qualified, as the rules required the subject of the photograph to be boat racing, and photos submitted must have been taken during regattas (which included just before the start and after the finish). Amid the photo descriptions, many were taken out of competition.

Just like setting speed records is harder during an event compared to picking the ideal weather window, all the photos should be taken when the subject is racing to ensure fairness. While all the photos are tremendous, I will be voting for only those images that are stated to have occurred during a race.

To vote for the images, click here.

The top 80 images can also be viewed below: