MedFoto proclaims the winners of its third edition and inaugurates its new exhibition
MedFoto, the International Photography Contest of the Mediterranean, has announced the winners of its third edition. During the event, the competition’s exhibition has also been inaugurated. A collection of the 36 finalist images and 3 photographic stories that can be visited until September 5th at the Club Nàutic L’Escala’s facilities.
Almost 70 people have participated in the event, which has crowned the photograph titled Night of Lightning at Sa Foradada by Marc Marco as the winner of MedFoto 2023. The photograph captures an electric storm over the Mediterranean Sea from the viewpoint of Sa Foradada, in Mallorca.
The award ceremony took place on Friday, August 4th, at 7 p.m. in the North room of the Restaurant & Gastrobar Bol Roig, located at the social headquarters of Club Nàutic L’Escala. It was also broadcasted through the Zoom virtual platform. This is the second edition of the contest in which the organization holds the ceremony in a hybrid format, considering the international character of the contest.
The speeches were given by the president of the Club, Narcís Carreras, the Patron of the Alive Foundation, Jordi Sargatal, and the general director of Ports of the Generalitat, Mrs. Annabel Moreno. The mayor of l’Escala, Mr. Josep Bofill, intervened in the closing of the event.
Winners proclamation
One of the most exciting moments of the event was the long-awaited proclamation of the 2023 MedFoto winners. The announcement included a brief technical evaluation of the winning pictures, offered by Oriol Alamany, a professional nature conservation photographer and representative of the MedFoto jury.
The winners of each category were awarded a cash prize of 300 euros. The winner of the underwater division was Víctor de Valles with his image Emerging from the blowhole, while the winner among the proposals in the Landscape category was Agaves in the Mediterranean by Dídac Faus. Among the candidates in the Wildlife category, the recognition went to Tramontana by Cristian Morera, and among those dedicated to Sports and Leisure, Day of Waves also by Marc Marco. Her last song by Héctor Gago was awarded the prize in the Conservation and Climate Change category. All Fishing by Andrés Mario Montañés received the award in the category of Sea Trades, and Rain on the Horizon by Josep Baró won in the With Mobile division. As for the new category of Photographic Story, the award went to Edgar Madrenys, with his proposal Homecoming which tells the recovery and return to the sea of marine turtles that have arrived on the Catalan coast.
During the event, the winners of the special categories L’Escala and Costa Brava were also announced, which were East Strong Winds at Montgó by Arnau Vergés and Stone Frame by Ot García. The special L’Escala prize includes an experience in the town for two people and includes one night in a hotel with breakfast, a lunch or dinner, and a visit to the Museum of Anchovy and Salt or the Alfolí de la Sal – Museum of l’Escala. The author of the winning photograph within the geographical limit of the Costa Brava (between Blanes and Portbou) has won a weekend in a bungalow at Camping la Ballena Alegre for four people.
The Popular Vote prize, worth 200 euros, which was revealed on July 16 after the voting period on the contest’s Instagram account (@medfotocontest), was awarded to Night of Lightning at Sa Foradada by Marc Marco, which got 481 Likes.
The Popular Vote prize, worth 200 euros, which was revealed on July 16 after the voting period on the contest’s Instagram account (@medfotocontest), was awarded to Night of Lightning at Sa Foradada by Marc Marco, which got 481 Likes.
Finally, the absolute winner of the MedFoto 2023 contest was announced. The grand prize of this third edition, consisting of 1,000 euros, went to Marc Marco and his image titled Night of Lightning at Sa Foradada, included in the Landscape category and chosen as the winner in the popular vote of the contest.
After the award ceremony, all attendees moved to the Club Nàutic L’Escala’s Boardroom, where the new MedFoto exhibition was inaugurated. A visit to the 36 best images and the three best photographic stories that reflect the authors’ interpretations of the relationship between people and the sea. The exhibition will be open until September 5.
A collaborative project
MedFoto is an initiative born from the collaboration between Alive Foundation and Club Nàutic l’Escala and aims to highlight the fragile relationship between people and the sea, as well as promote the natural values of the marine environment and encourage a responsible attitude of all agents operating in the marine world and the general public. With the collection and dissemination of the visual material of the contest, the contest aims to contribute to the knowledge and preservation of the marine environment.
In this edition, the event has the support of the City Council of L’Escala, Ports de la Generalitat of Catalonia, La Ballena Alegre campsite, Portalblau Festival and Improcat.
