Photography
Red Bull Illume Category Winners 2023
Some stories are told in words. Others are told in light, grit, and gravity.
The 2023 edition of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest brought the world's most daring photographers together once again — but this time, history was made. For the first time ever, a female photographer claimed the highest honor: Krystle Wright became the first woman to win the overall title, with an image proving that boundaries — creative, physical, or otherwise — are meant to be broken.
Lorenz Holder
© Lorenz Holder / Red Bull Illume
Ross Taylor
© Ross Taylor / Red Bull Illume
Ted Grambeau
© Ted Grambeau / Red Bull Illume
Jb Liautard
© Jb Liautard / Red Bull Illume
The winning images weren’t just displayed — they were once again celebrated on a world stage. The Winner Award Ceremony took place in the alpine heights of Sölden, Austria. From there the Red Bull Illume exhibit set off on a global tour, captivating audiences with moments frozen in time yet filled with motion.
Category Winners at the Red Bull Illume Winner Award Ceremony 2023
© Red Bull Illume
Every image tells a deeper story
Stories of sacrifice, creativity, and pure dedication. For some, like Gonzalo Robert Parraguez, getting the shot meant rappelling into position, dangling from rock faces just to catch the right angle. For others, like Jb Liautard, it meant all-night drives through mountain passes, chasing a single perfect frame. “It was one shot this whole part of the trip was about,” he said — a reminder that these images often come down to all or nothing.
Gonzalo Robert Parraguez
© Gonzalo Robert Parraguez / Red Bull Illume
To get in the position I wanted, the only way to get there was to rappel in
And then there’s Krystle Wright, whose image started as a lightning bolt of inspiration on a quiet drive to her local crag. What followed was a burst of visual storytelling that carved her name into the Red Bull Illume history books.
One day as I was driving to my local crag, an idea hit me like a lightning bolt
Krystle Wright
© Krystle Wright / Red Bull Illume
These are not snapshots. They are stories of trust, timing, weather, failure, and perseverance. They are the work of photographers who climb, fall, wait, risk, and dream.
Delphin Montessuit
© Delphin Montessuit / Red Bull Illume
To create this image, I decided to push the boundaries of my creativity
Red Bull Illume 2023 closes its chapter with 10 unforgettable category winners, each pushing the limits of what’s possible behind a lens — and in front of it. Nearly two decades into its legacy, the competition continued to elevate not only the athletes in motion, but also the unseen artists capturing the soul of every leap, ride, crash, and triumph.
Take a closer look at the 2023 Category Winners and see the outstanding moments that shaped this edition.
