See The Absolute Best Action and Adventure Sports Photos of 2019
Absolutely stunning.
The winning images have been announced in the fifth edition of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest photo contest, which highlights the wild world of action-and-adventure sports.
A judging panel of 50 digital experts and photo editors narrowed nearly 60,000 submissions to just 60 of the very best photos, which they select culled to pick 11 Category Winners and one Overall Winner.
The contest wrapped up with the Winner Award Ceremony that was held in late November at the stunning Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography in Plan de Corones, Italy.
High up in the Italian Dolomites at 7,500 feet above sea level, the museum has arguably the most incredible view of any museum in the world.
But it was the images in the contest itself that were truly stunning. Standouts included two-time Overall Winner Lorenz Holder’s haunting photograph of a BMX trickster in the Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland and Noah Wetzel’s brilliant shot of a total solar eclipse using an in-camera double exposure.
“Red Bull Illume is the most elite photography contest for action sports and adventure imagery in the world,” Wetzel told Maxim.com. “I couldn’t be more honored to join this group of talented artists at the Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography…one of the most beautiful settings for an awards ceremony that can imagine.”
Below, check out the winners of the Red Bull Illume photography contest.
Overall Winner and winner of the Energy category: Ben Thouard
French Polynesia
With athlete Ace Buchan in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia.
Category: RAW
Noah Wetzel
USA
With athlete Chris Brule
in Teton Valley, Wyoming.
Category: Masterpiece by EyeEm
Lorenz Holder
Germany
With athlete Senad Grosic in The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland.
Category: Innovation
Laurence Crossman-Emms
United Kingdom
With athlete Katy Winton in Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, United Kingdom.
Category: Best of Instagram by SanDisk
Baptiste Fauchille
France
With athlete Alex Bibollet in Fillinges, France.
Category: Emerging by Red Bull Photography
JB Liautard
France
With athlete Jeremy Berthier in Bourgoin-Jallieu, France.
Category: Playground
Lorenz Holder
Germany
With athlete Vladic Scholz in the Ouse Valley Viaduct in Sussex, England.
Category: Creative by Skylum
Denis Klero
Russia
With athlete Pavel Alekhin
at the Streetfire Club in Moscow, Russia
.
Category: Wings
Philip Platzer
Austria
With athlete Marco Fürst
in Fromberg, Austria.
Category: Lifestyle
Alexander Wick
Germany
With athletes Philipp Bankosegger, Chris Rudolph, and Luke Lalor at the Salathé Wall at Yosemite National Park.
Category: Moving Image
Rupert Walker
Canada
With athlete Brandon Semenuk
in Paso Robles, California.
The winning images are displayed in an outdoor exhibition at the museum, and the images of the finalists will be displayed in capitals and cultural hubs on three continents on the Red Bull Illume Exhibit Tour in 2020.
You can also view the entire gallery right here.