This winter, the first-ever international action and adventure sports photography competition – Red Bull Illume Image Quest – unveiled 50 of the best raw moments in action and adventure sports in a first of its kind outdoor photography exhibition on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.
During a special opening ceremony exhibition, judges and heroes of the sport selected the top 10 category winners, unveiled the Illume Image of the Year, and kicked-off the worldwide tour of images. This June, the larger-than-life exhibition will travel to Huntington Beach, moving from snow to sand, for a spectacular public surfside ‘illumination’ of indescribable proportions.
From June 6th-17th, a breathtaking spectacle of eight-foot glass and metal cubes will light up the sands of Huntington Beach each evening after sunset to reveal the very best of action sports photography.
A special public opening of the extraordinary outdoor exhibition will take place at dusk on June 6, drawing spectators through a larger-than-life circular gallery of illuminated photographic expressions, while during the day the mirrored cubes will offer seaside views of Huntington Beach.
Judges selected the top 50 images (five finalist images in ten image categories) for the traveling exhibition, honoring photographers that evoke the following qualities in their images: commitment, passion, risk, technical superiority, composition, creativity, impact, artistic flair and overall excellence.
The top 10 category winners include:
Lifestyle: Desré Pickers – South Africa
Sequence: David Blazek – Czech Republic
Close-Up: Dawn Kish – Flagstaff, AZ
Energy: Thomas Stöckli – Switzerland
Spirit: Brian Bielmann – Haleiwa, HI
Playground: Wojtek Antonow – Poland
Wings: Fred Mortagne – France
New Creativity: Jimmy Wilson – Melbourne Beach, FL
Experimental: Tim McKenna – Australia
Illumination: Gian Paul Lozza -Switzerland
Fred Mortagne of France achieved the honour of ‘Illume Image of the Year’ for his stylized skateboarding image that wowed judges. He is commissioned for the photo shoot of a lifetime with a Red Bull athlete of choice, anywhere in the world.
Following the exhibition in Huntington Beach, the top 50 photographs will travel next to Portland, Oregon on August 2-12 and to various outdoor venues across the U.S. and Canada in 2007, and to further unique international destinations in 2008.
