More than 1,200 photographs were submitted to the fourth edition of the MARE competition, among 140 participants of 11 different nationalities, distributed among three participation profiles: youth, adult amateurs and adult experts. A total of €10,000 has been distributed in 30 prizes - a cash prize for the Adult participation and underwater equipment for the Youth -. The winning photographs will form part of the travelling exhibition that will tour the Balearic Islands during the year 2024.
MARE Team: "For the fourth consecutive year we have added more looks towards the sea thanks to the power of images. This year's winning photographs show interactions between unusual species, artistic and sensitive photographs that show the diversity of organisms that surround us, the effects of increased nautical pressure on our coasts - such as abandoned boats - and the effect of fishing gear and waste in the sea".
This year's awards ceremony was part of the Marine Forum programme, which featured Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and internationally renowned explorer, who reflected: "We know the surface of Mars better than the bottom of the sea". This is precisely one of the aims of MARE: to bring to light what is hidden beneath the sea. "All the images in the competition make it possible to create a collective view of the sea around us. Thanks to all the participants - without your generosity we would not know what is hidden under the water - and to the organisations that year after year make MARE possible" add the organisers of the competition.
Antonio Beneyto, coordinator of the Marine Forum: "The Marine Forum and MARE were both born in the same year, 2020, two projects that we have collaborated on to increase collective interest in the sea that surrounds us. We are very happy to have organised the MARE awards within the Forum's programming, because it reminds us that marine conservation is multidisciplinary, diverse and we all have a role to play. From the dialogue tables to the arts".
Award-winning photographs
Expert adult participation profile: "Atrapado" by Xavier Mas Ferrà (MARE Animalia); "Mar de Posidonia" by Sebastian Antonio Bota Ferragut (MARE Botanica); "Interacciones peligrosas" by Néstor Carda Aroca (MARE Denuncia); "Camino a la libertad" by Bartolomé Santandreu Borrás (MARE Sapiens) and "La màgia de La Foradada" by Paco Fernández Masero (MARE Nostrum, el Mediterráneo).
Amateur adult participation profile: "Cap i cua" by Francesc Pera Baldomà (MARE Animalia); "Acetabularia" by Alex Morell (MARE Botanica); "Salta" by Jordi Cerdá Santacreu (MARE Sapiens); "Final de viaje" by Ainhoa Ezkurra (MARE Denuncia) and "La Cápsula del Tiempo" by Javier Martin Parejo (MARE Nostrum, the Mediterranean).
Youth participation profile: Adrià Mas Escandell (15 years old), Joan Sans Tous (12 years old) and Lluna Mas Escandell (13 years old).
Honourable Mention Marine Protected Areas: "Lobos de mar" by Vicente Planells Ramon; "Disfrutant de la Mediterrània" by Xavier Mas Ferrà and "Pez Golondrina" by Manel Robert Lora. For the Honourable Mention Elasmobranquios (sharks and rays) the following were awarded: "Los últimos Guitarras" by Julio Martínez; "Tintorera" by Marc Casanovas Felix and "Descanso del cazador nocturno" by Javier Atero Cano.
MARE Popularis: The category of public prizes is a novelty that we have incorporated this year and which has been very well received because it allows us to explore more creative paths within photography. The photograph that received the most votes (a total of 209) was "Saturday Night Fever" by Miquel Gomila.
The jury for the fourth edition included Nuria Marbà, a leading scientist and expert on the Balearic marine environment, Carlos Minguell, a leading underwater photographer, and Jean Marie del Moral, an internationally renowned photographer with a career spanning more than four decades. The images have been selected according to criteria of photographic quality, originality, fidelity to reality and ability to connect with the viewer.
