The best 50 photos from nearly 23,000 action and adventure sports images submitted to the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2010 can now be seen in their full glory in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
The open-air exhibition is open until September 11 and is free to the public. Every evening after dark, the images illuminate the front square of the university. Gates to the exhibition are opened every night between 8-10pm. The images are arguably the world’s greatest collection of action and adventure sports photography.
As night time fell during the Exhibition Premiere on August 31, the world’s best action and adventure sports photographers were revealed at a stunning ceremony hosted by Irish television presenter Sile Seoige. After months of anticipation, the identities and images of the fifty finalists and category winners were finally revealed.
Fifty-three judges from around the world voted to find the photos that stood out most for their composition, creativity and artistic flair. The judges voted for ten category winners and one overall winner. An incredible landscape-style surf photo by Chris Burkard (USA) wowed the international jury and won the biggest prize in freesports photography.
“These are truly incredible images, I was floored,” said Judge Nick Hamilton, Director of Photography at Transworld Snowboarding. “It was amazing to see them as a collection.”
“’Staggered’ is the word that comes to mind when considering the quality of images in this year’s Red Bull Illume,” says Steve Dickinson of Adventure Magazine. “As a judge I was staggered by the quality, staggered at the variety and staggered by the creativity. I spend my professional life immersed in action based images and this year’s entries to Red Bull Illume are without doubt the very cream of the world’s best action images.”
Founded in the 16th century, Trinity College is one of the world’s most prestigious universities, boasting a long and rich history of artistic excellence, and remains an important part of Ireland’s cultural history. Amongst its most famous alumni are writers such as Oscar Wilde and Bram Stoker (Dracula), while it’s also home to the world famous ‘Book of Kells’, a priceless eighth-century artifact.
All images can be seen online at www.redbullillume.com as well as photographer biographies and photo descriptions written by the finalists themselves.
Check out the Red Bull Illume facebook page for the Dublin event and Red Bull Ireland for updates!