Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Awards Announced

(October 23, 2018) – The ninth edition of the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image photo competition attracted 109 photographers representing 25 nationalities, all vying for one of the three awards that seek to highlight their efforts in illustrating extraordinary moments during the 2018 sailing season.

For the most prominent honor, the 6-person international jury selected Portuguese photographer Ricardo Pinto (POR) for the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award based on his image taken during the Volvo Ocean Race. Based in Lisbon, Pinto has been working as a sailing photographer for many years.

“It’s a privilege to be able to follow some of the best sailing events in the world and witness such amazing moments,” said Pinto. “My goal is to be able to share that with everyone, as if they were right there next to me.”

Ricardo Pinto’s photo was celebrated today at the Yacht Racing Forum in Lorient, France. The photographer, who is currently working in Africa, succeeds 2017 winner German photographer Sören Hese. The best nation this year was France, with seven photos in the top 20, followed by Australia and Russia.

“I liked this image at first sight, and it deserves to win,” says Jesus Renedo, a world-renowned professional photographer and member of the international jury. “For us photographers, the most difficult thing is not to take a picture, but everything that leads to it.

“In Ricardo’s case, I can only imagine that he had to convince the following boat driver and other passengers to get away from Scallywag when she arrived in Lisbon, in order to capture the boat’s dark silhouette in the last rays of the sun, while still identifying her. It is definitely a winning image, taken by a great photographer.”

The jury had reduced the entries to their top 80 photos eligible for the Public Award won by Brigi Török (HUN) who accumulated the most votes on the Internet.

The jury further reduced the submissions to their top 20 photos which would be eligible for the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image Award, won by Pinto, and the Yacht Racing Forum Award, decided by the 300+ delegates of the Yacht Racing Forum and won by Eloi Stichelbaut (FRA).

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2018 – Top 10
1. Ricardo Pinto (POR)
2. Martin Keruzoré (FRA)
3. Pierre Bouras (FRA)
4. Michael Chittenden (NZL)
5. Jöran Bubke (GER)
6. Benjamin Sans (CHL)
7. Yann Riou (FRA)
8. Yvan Zedda (FRA)
9. Eloi Stichelbaut (FRA)
10. Andrea Francolini (AUS)

Yacht Racing Forum award – Top 5
1. Eloi Stichelbaut (FRA)
2. Martin Keruzoré (FRA)
3. Benjamín Sans (CHL)
4. Loris von Siebenthal (SUI)
5. Michael Chittenden (NZL)

Public Award – Top 5
1. Brigi Török (HUN)
2. Gàbor Cserta (HUN)
3. Alex Irwin (UK)
4. Andras Kollmann (HUN)
5. Martina Orsini (ITA)

Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image 2018 international Jury
• Jesus Renedo, professional photographer
• Cory Silken, professional photographer
• Brice Lechevalier, editor in chief, Skippers Magazine
• Nicolas Mirabaud, member of the Executive Committee of Mirabaud & Cie SA
• Sofia Bekatorou, former Olympic champion, 470
• Jean-Baptiste Epron, boat designer

Editor’s note: For a contest that claims to “highlight the extraordinary diversity of the sport,” yet all three award winning photos are from the Volvo Ocean Race, one can wonder whether this goal was achieved. But when there is limited agreement in the top five for the three awards, we can agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Source: MaxCom Media