MedFoto 2025 Reveals the Winning Images of Its Fifth Edition
On Saturday, July 26, the Multipurpose Hall of Club Nàutic L’Escala hosted the awards ceremony for MedFoto 2025, the International Mediterranean Photography Contest. Year after year, this event highlights the relationship between people and the sea through the artistic and committed lens of photographers from around the world.
A Fascinating Image Takes the Top Prize
The standout of this edition was the photograph “3” by Catalan photographer Marc Casanovas, which was named the overall winner of the contest. Taken in Tossa de Mar, the image captures an impressive Forskalia edwardsi, a marine siphonophore that, despite appearing to be a single organism, is actually a colony of specialized individuals. The image was awarded €1,000.
A Diverse Look at the Marine World
In addition to the main prize, the jury recognized the best photographs in each of the nine contest categories, each awarded €300:
- Underwater: Between Lights and Shadows, by Marc Casanovas
- Landscape: Underwater Cavern, by Víctor de Valles
- Wildlife: The Sprinter, by Lluc Semis
- Sports and Leisure: Salt and Wood, by Òscar Torveo
- Conservation and Climate Change: Dragging Plastics, by Xavier Mas
- Popular: Raul and s’illa des Porcs, by Javier Martín
- Marine Trades: Astronauts of the Seas: Industrial Divers, by Şebnem Coşkun
- Photographic Story: The Dangerous Journey of Sea Turtles, also by Şebnem Coşkun
Special Awards with Local Flavor
The Costa Brava Prize went to David Perpinyà for the striking photo Any Night Might Bring… the Northern Lights!, earning him a weekend for four at La Ballena Alegre campsite.
The L’Escala Prize was awarded to Sergi Pujol for August at the Barques Beach, which includes a two-person experience in the town: accommodation, a meal, and a cultural visit.
Finally, the Comic Fauna Prize, recognizing the most humorous or surprising image in the Wildlife or Underwater categories, went to Jose Antonio Gil for Arriving at Their Meeting. The prize includes a basket of Empordà products, a hotel night, and a one-year subscription to Amics dels Aiguamolls i del Patrimoni Natural de l’Empordà.
An Exhibition for Everyone
The event concluded with the opening of the exhibition The Sea and the People, showcasing the finalist and winning works of MedFoto 2025. This year, the exhibition debuts in a new outdoor format designed to make it more visible and accessible. It can be visited free of charge at the waiting dock of Club Nàutic L’Escala until August 30.
A Project with Transformative Vision
MedFoto is a joint initiative by Club Nàutic L’Escala and the Alive Foundation, aiming to highlight the fragile relationship between people and the sea, promote the natural values of the marine environment, and encourage responsible behavior toward it. The contest is supported by Ports de la Generalitat, L’Escala Town Council, AEFONA, AAPNE, La Ballena Alegre, Festival Portalblau, Improcat, Empordà Turisme, Barcelona Capital Nàutica, ACPET, the Catalan Association for Responsible Fishing, Cap de Creus Natural Park, and Fotografia by ERAM.
