It's exactly that hundredth of a second when everything falls into place. The chaos reaches its climax, the capsize is inevitable as the scene is captured on the camera's sensor. It is the moment when Slovenian photographer Samo Vidic presses the shutter release and shoots the winning photo of the 14th Yacht Racing Image Award.
He recorded it during a SailGP training session in Bermuda. The scene is spectacular: the Americans' catamaran capsizes. The top of the mast plunges into the churning water and the crew fall like apples from a basket from the windward hull into the depths. At the same moment, the bright red hull of the British vessel shines through the trampoline of the signal blue US catamaran. The fact that the grinders of the British team are looking into the camera at this moment is just the cherry on the cake of a perfectly composed and colour-coordinated photo. A masterpiece - and now award-winning.
Vidic: "Hopes were not very high"
Samo Vidic was surprised at the award ceremony, for the second time in a row to have won. Vidic:
I knew the photo I had submitted was strong, but with other high calibre events this year (...) my hopes were not particularly high.
Vidic said he was proud and honoured. The victory confirms to him that he is doing the right thing. The Slovenian has over twenty years of experience as a sports photographer. He says he has developed a particular passion for the extreme sailing class of foiling catamarans.
Big competition - many applications
Vidic's winning photo once again beat off stiff competition. More than 130 photographers from 31 countries took part in this year's photo competition. The images submitted range from dramatic shots of large sailing regattas to close-ups that reflect the concentration and commitment of the sailors.
A selection of the images submitted in 2024:
The jury that assesses the images is made up of five members with different backgrounds. These include a sailing journalist and the project manager of the METS trade fair. According to the company, the images were judged according to three main criteria: the emotion that the image evokes, its technical difficulty and its originality.
More breathtaking pictures of sailing:
A total of three prizes awarded at the Yacht Racing Image Award
Ilia Byzov took second place behind the Slovenian Samo Vidic. Georgy Akimov came third. In addition to the Yacht Racing Image Award, the Audience Award and the Delegates Award were also presented in Amsterdam. For the Audience Award, the best photo could be voted for online. James Tomlinson won this category ahead of Brigi Török and Tom Coehoorn. And in the Delegates Award, in which METSTRADE visitors could vote, Michael Kurtz won ahead of Eloi Stichelbaut and Daniel Forster.
Yacht Racing Image Award: One of the leading competitions
This is the 14th time the prize has been awarded; it was launched in 2010. Since then, it has become one of the leading competitions in the field of sailing and competitive sport. It honours the best photographs that impressively capture the dynamics, excitement and challenges of yacht racing.
And also last year, at the Yacht Racing Award 2023 were the pictures of the candidates and Winner impressive:
