Image of diving gannet scoops US$120,000 photography prize

10 August 2022

An underwater image of a gannet hitting the water at 100km/h captured in Scotland’s Shetland Islands by UK-based photographer Henley Spiers has taken out the top prize in the 11^th season (2021-2022) of the HIPA International Photography Award. The theme of the competition was Nature. Spiers walks away with the Grand Prize of $US$120,000.

© Henley Spiers. Gannet Storm. Grand Prize Winner. A northern gannet swims in an artistic hail of bubbles created by diving seabirds. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey.
Their long wingspan and streamlined bodies make flying look effortless, gliding along with just the occasional pulse of their wings. When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Hitting the frigid water faster than an Olympic diver, these incredible birds have evolved air sacs in the head and chest to survive these repeated heavy impacts. — © Henley Spiers. *Gannet Storm.* Grand Prize Winner. A northern gannet swims in an artistic hail of bubbles created by diving seabirds. The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence. In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey. Their long wingspan and streamlined bodies make flying look effortless, gliding along with just the occasional pulse of their wings. When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Hitting the frigid water faster than an Olympic diver, these incredible birds have evolved air sacs in the head and chest to survive these repeated heavy impacts.

Spiers described the news of winning as extraordinary. “Gannet Storm is the frame I was most inspired to capture in 2021,” he said, “and to have it recognised is reassuringly heart-warming. Even so, I never dared to dream it would scoop up the top prize in HIPA; it's a once in a lifetime achievement which I'll be sure to savour for a long time.”

The Nature category was won by Ryo Minemizu of Japan, with Marcio Cabral from Brazil and Navin Kumar from India in second and third place, respectively.

© Ryo Minemizu. Jumeirah. Winner, Nature category. — © Ryo Minemizu. *Jumeirah.* Winner, Nature category. "A species of Mollusca Gastropoda larva encountered in the sea at night near Komi Island, Okinawa, Japan. It's actually very tiny, infact the size of the conch in the middle is only 3mm, and the overall 20mm. Around the conch is a swimming organ called velum, which is lined with cilia. "It's a cautious creature, and even if they feel a slight threat, the velum will retreat into the conch. The beauty of this species reminded me of Palm Jumeirah, one of the beautiful landscapes of the UAE."

Winners in the General (Colour) category were Nguyen Vu Cao from Vietnam, with Nay Soemoe from Myanmar in second place and third place going to Rahat Bin Mustafiz from Bangladesh.

© Nguyen Vu Cao. Matrix of Boats. Winner, General (Colour) category. Fishermen's boats lined up neatly when anchored to avoid super typhoon No. 9 - the strongest super typhoon to hit Quang Ngai (my hometown) in 30 years that had completely destroyed 325 houses and damaged more than 140,000 houses. — © Nguyen Vu Cao. *Matrix of Boats*. Winner, General (Colour) category. "Fishermen's boats lined up neatly when anchored to avoid super typhoon No. 9 - the strongest super typhoon to hit Quang Ngai (my hometown) in 30 years that had completely destroyed 325 houses and damaged more than 140,000 houses."

In the General (Black & White) category, first place went to Muhammad Alamsyah Rauf from Indonesia, followed by Chinese photographer Shuchuan Liu in second and Luis Lyons from Mexico in third place.

© Muhammad Alamsyah Rauf. Flour War. Winner, General (Colour) category. Taken in Papua Indonesia, a group of kids playing flour war to celebrate their graduation at school. Despite their poverty and the poor condition of their school, they create happy moments together.

In the Portfolio category, Canadian photographer Paul Nicklen took out top honours, followed by Iurii Pritisk from Russia in second place and Liguo Chen from China in third place.

© Paul Nicklen. Cold Pursuit. Winner, Portfolio category. "As a biologist, I am fascinated by changing seasons and their effect on the wildlife populations at our planet's extremes, where conditions can shift dramatically. As temperatures steadily drop to -22°F on the Fishing Branch River in Canada's Yukon, for example, young bears like this ice-covered female must forage non-stop for fish, carrion, and other sources of nutrition until it is time to sleep for the winter. "Dwindling resources force her typically isolated, nomadic species into close proximity, so she must be on the lookout for big, lumbering males or protective mothers with their cubs at every moment. I hope images like this will help underscore the struggle of life in the wild and convince us to rethink actions that jeopardize the survival of our animal cousins. Our urgency in dealing with the existential threat of climate change will make all the difference for her future and those like her."

Ali Saifaldeen from Qatar won the Portrait category. Second place went to Mohammad Radi Abdel Gani from Guatemala, with Ahmed Mahmoud Abdulazim Abdulrazik from Egypt in third place.

© Ali Saifaldeen. Relaxing in the Rain. Winner, Portrait category. Kibande, a mountain gorilla from the Rushegura Mountain Gorilla Family in Uganda, is relaxing under the rain drops. The way the drops land on her face and the way she holds the small piece of wood in her mouth, caught my eyes.

Head to the awards website to see entries of all the top place-getters.

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