In one of two separate workshops, Red Bull Illume photographer Christian Pondella gave a lecture at the University of Texas on April 18. After showcasing various examples of his work, he spoke about techniques he used and how he went about setting up the shots. Later the students had an hour to shoot stunt motorcyclist Aaron Colton.

“I always tell young shooters to shoot things they are passionate about. Don't be afraid to experiment with your camera and take chances when shooting a subject, basically be willing to fail in the process of getting a great shot,” says Pondella.  

The students later edited their best photos from the shoot and discussed each photo back in the lecture hall where Pondella critiqued what he saw. One of the students, Amyn Kassam was chosen as the winner and won a media credential for the Red Bull Moto GP and the opportunity to shadow Pondella and learn how a pro operates.  

Another action sport photography workshop was hosted by Romanian Red Bull photographer Mihai Stetcu on the 16th of April. Out of around 150 photographers who applied for the two day workshop, only 40 were selected to attend based on three of their own photographs they had submitted.

The first day was used for theory, and Stetcu shared his experiences and delivered technical advice in preparation for the following day. The next day was spent at a photo shoot in a skate park with Red Bull athlete Mihnea Groseanu and a few other riders. After the shooting, everyone went to the F64 studio for editing and analysis, and Stetcu showed the students examples from the 2010 Red Bull Illume exhibition to inform and inspire them.

You can enjoy a gallery below of the shots taken from the workshops. A number of the students from both workshops submitted to Red Bull Illume and will be waiting to see if they have made the cut. Christian Pondella is also looking forward to it: “I am very excited to see what photos make the final 50!”

It’s an incredible experience receiving floods of truly hair-raising images from every corner of the globe. The response from the global community of action and adventure sports photographers has been tremendous and we’re proud to share a few of the official numbers with you...

We received a total of 28.257 images, that’s almost 25% more than in the 2010 contest.

We received submissions from 6.417 different photographers, an increase of almost 50% from the last competition.

Photographers come from 124 countries – the top three are USA, Brazil and United Kingdom.  

The most popular category was Playground which received a total of 4.608 images, followed by Energy with 3.699 images.

Approximately a third of the total submissions were submitted in the final 36 hours.

Amount of thanks from the Red Bull Illume team to all the photographers who took the time to submit: countless!  

So what is next? The award ceremony takes place end of August in Hong Kong, but right now our judges are faced with the Herculean task of narrowing down the images to the finalists. All we can say is good luck! 

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of the Red Bull Illume submissions window gently swinging shut. Photographers have precious little time to submit their best shots – April 30th is the final day of the competition and submissions will be accepted right up until midnight.

Now is the perfect time to go through your image archives and look for potential submissions with fresh eyes. Each photographer has 50 slots, that’s five images for each of the 10 categories, so be sure to seize all the opportunities to impress!

Here are some pointers for photographers who want to submit:
1)    register here
2)    click the activation link sent to you via email (check your spam folder if it doesn’t arrive)
3)    Login here and upload your awesome images

You also need to be aware once an image is submitted, it cannot be changed, edited or moved to a different category – be sure all details are correct before hitting the submit button!

Lastly, we’d love your support, so please help us spread the word about Red Bull Illume on your networks! Best of luck… We’re looking forward to seeing your images.

Your last chance to enter the world’s greatest action and adventure sports photography contest is rapidly approaching – all submissions must be uploaded to redbullillume.com by April 30th. While thousands of images have already been submitted, the dedicated mission of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest is to leave no incredible image behind – so get your submissions in while you can!

Photographers can enter as many as five images in each of the 10 categories so there's no limit to the range of inspirational shots that can be entered, whether they're action, lifestyle or sequence shots. See the full list of categories here.

It costs nothing. Anyone can enter. The only qualification? Your images need to be amazing. Whether you’re a published pro or an aspiring amateur,  now is the time to enter the Red Bull Illume Image Quest.

The images are judged by an international panel of 50 photo editors from prominent publications whose task is to select the 50 best shots, including 10 category winners and one overall winner. The finalist images will then be unveiled in Hong Kong at the end of August before travelling the world as a night-time exhibition that's seen by thousands.

More information, including rules and entry details, can be found here. Submissions close April 30th, 2013.