2020 Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Awards: Showcase 1
The 2020 edition of the Mark Gunter Photo Awards opened just over a week ago, and already, we’ve seen some amazing shots come through.
We’ll be showcasing these in galleries every week or two, highlighting a selection of the year’s entries. We hope you’ll enjoy them.
This year the theme is hope – and it’s as much about the image as it is about the story behind the images. At their best, the captions and the images can bring us a little closer to the photographer sharing one of the stories of their 2020.
In more ways than one, every entry is making a difference. Firstly, these images bring some light and joy into what has been a very strange and difficult year for almost everyone on the planet. Secondly, just as in every year previously, the awards act as a fundraiser for cancer research. Although payment of the entry fee is not mandatory this year, if you are in a position to pay, your entry fees will go towards the great cause of cancer research through Tour de Cure.
The competition closes on January 5th, 2021, at which point our judges – Kristof Ramon, Tim Bardsley-Smith, and Ashley & Jered Gruber – will deliberate on who’ll take out the honours and prizes on offer from Wahoo and The Sufferfest. Winners will be announced on January 11, 2021.
The feature image comes from Marco Loman @lomanmarco in the amateur category, and is captioned: “Training for a race that didn’t come. For more than 6 weeks he trained every Sunday morning on his own, on the local cycling course, round after round, just to hear at the last moment, that the National Time Trial was to be cancelled.” (Elmar Reinders of Riwal Cycling Team is training for the Dutch National Timetrial)
Professional category
The professional category is open to all photographers that make a living from their work.
They are competing for the prestige and honour, along with the perpetual trophy and medallions.
“I took this photo of Julian after his victory on the Tour de France 2020. The emotion was massive for the rider, he stay seat here for a long time to realize what he’d achieved. It was not easy to shoot this one — due to Covid restriction this year on every race — but with a bit audacity (and a nice security guy).” Thomas Maheux @thomas_maheux
“LOCKDOWN. That moment of 2020 when everyone had to stop. With this photo, I’m sure many cyclists will be reflected by their days of being confined at home and where they spent hours and hours on their trainers. I portrait some cyclists, without moving from home, via video call, to tell them how to configure their cameras, to take the picture that I had in mind. All the photos had a common thread between them by the light that came from their screens and that illuminated their “pain cave”.” Albert Gallego @brazodehierro
Angelo Giangregorio @pedaleforchetta Strade Bianche. Maybe the hottest day of the Summer (and dustiest) J.A. got some water from a generous member of the NTT Team, definitely not his day.
“I think that what I missed the most during the different lockdown due to the Coronavirus crisis is to see the crowd interact with the our riding heroes. I love to see the passion of young people for this incredible sport. Here a young fan of Peter Sagan and Bora-Hansgrohe team watching the peloton coming over the hill during the last stage of the Herald Sun Tour 2020 in Melbourne streets. Maybe he will be tomorrow riding star, giving us goose bumps, and making dreams come true.” Jean-Pierre Ronco @imagewriterphotography
“Mathieu van der Poel lifting up his bike and screams of joy, after he won the Ronde van Vlaanderen. This shows how somebody can hope for a big moment in his career to happen! Was very special to witness this. Also his dad won this race.” Anton Vos @anton_vos
“This one is of the mens RR at the Worlds in Italy. It gives a sense of what it is like in the main peloton while climbing. Marc Hirschi, Jai Hindley, Todej Pogacar and Luke Rowe all in the shot. Riders who all had a big part in the Grand Tours this year.” Gary Main @garymainphotographer
“This was the first race in Estonia post Covid-lockdown and also incidentally probably the hottest day of the year. For Tanel, an experienced and long time member of the pro peloton, the relief of the cold water at the end of the race is matched only by the relief of being back racing finally after the lockdown.” (Tanel Kangert, EF Pro Cycling, taken at the end of June this year at the Valgete Teede Rattaralli, Estonia.) Adam Illingworth @aphotobyadam
Amateur category
This year the Enthusiast category and the Smartphone / Action Cam category have been combined to make the Amateur category, open to non-professional photographers using high-end cameras, and anyone with a smartphone or drone or action camera.
First prize in this category wins a Wahoo Elemnt Roam GPS computer; second prize wins a Wahoo Elemnt Rival; and third prize wins a Wahoo Tickr. All three prize-winners also score a year’s subscription to The Sufferfest.
“The race took place on a closed course due to the strict Covid-19 rules. The peloton makes his way up the mountain. The Col du Vam is some 4500cm above sea level, with gradients up to 15%. The length of the course was some 7km, and they had to climb up to the mountain almost 27 times.” Dutch road championship 2020. Marco Loman @lomanmarco
“Masks required, friends appreciated. As movement restrictions lifted, and bubbles and pods formed, we started riding together again and it became so apparent how much having others – even one or two – made a difference in getting out on the bike and exploring far and wide when we normally would have been racing.” Emily Alexander @eealxndr
“What a season for Remco. In the Vuelta a Burgos he flew past me, more than even the helicopter.” Markel Bazanbide @markel.bazan
“La Grande Boucle’ is culture. The climbs, the media repercussion, the best cyclists and the public — make it the greatest cycling race in the world.” Miguel Ena @enasanjuan
“This photo comes from the first track event I’d ever been too. It was amazing to see athletes flying around the velodrome at 60kph and trying to keep up with them with my camera. What I liked about this photo was the way the track lines blurred and the angle I captured the rider in as he was coming into the turn.” Filip Funk @filipfunk
“I love the riding out of the darkness and into the light aspect….feels like what’s happened for us at the end of this year. 2020 has been a bit of continuing period of major life events for us. In the last 2 years we lost 3 of our 4 parents. We have sold out small business and moved from Boulder to Philly for my new job. That move was us being on the offensive for the first time in a long time. This pic was taken with some friends showing me a great route in my new town.” Brett Richard @brettjrichard
“One silver lining to the otherwise bleak 2020 road cycling season in Colorado was that the highest paved road in North America — to the summit of Mount Evans (14,271-feet -4,350 m- in altitude) — was closed to cars, making it perfect for cyclists attempting to accomplish a pesonal milestone. This image was taken on Father’s Day, June 21, as I and my two adult children attempted to reach the top on bicycles, despite the few inches of snow remaining from a storm a few days before.” Reid Neureiter@reidnewphoto
“Taken at sunrise in Scarborough Marsh, Maine, USA during a weekly small CX group ride. One of a couple things that helped get me through 2020.” Casey Cesari @caseycesari
For all details and to enter, visit here.
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