2023 Photo Competitions for Seafarers

There are many different genres within maritime photography. My own focus is on commercial shipping with a clear emphasis on the passenger part of the industry. I often like to incorporate the landscape or seascape in my compositions – and my perspective is always from the outside in. In other words, I am an observer. This is because I am not a professional seafarer with access to the reverse perspective.

Fortunately, there are also professional seafarers who have a passion for photography. Every year, welfare organizations representing seafarers in each of the Nordic countries organize a national photo competition. The winners qualify to participate in the annual Nordic Photo Competition. Over the years, I have followed these photo competitions with great interest and have also once been part of the jury in the Nordic competition.

I am therefore very honoured that the Danish organizer behind the photo competitions, Sea Health & Welfare, has allowed me to showcase the winning photos from the Nordic competition in 2023, as well as the photos from the seafarers on Danish ships that qualified to compete with their colleagues from the other Nordic countries.

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NOTE FROM THE ORGANIZERS:
The 2023 version of the Nordic Photo Competition for Seafarers was held in Stockholm, Sweden in a maritime setting, on the museum ship Sankt Erik (built in 1915).

This year’s winning image was taken by the Swedish ship’s cook, Jörgen Språng, and is a classic black and white photo taken while the ship is in dock.

Throughout the year, the national organizers of the seafarer photo receive photos from seafarers on board Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic ships. Once the national competitions have been held, the 15 best images from each country go on to the Nordic Seafarers’ Photo Competition.

In 2023 130 seafarers submitted a total of 808 photos.

The Nordic competition is organized alternately in the Nordic countries. The organizing country provides competent judges, and this year they were Anneli Karlsson, photographer, Samlingsenheten Sjöhistoriska Museet, and Mikael Dunker, communications officer at the wreck museum Vrak.

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Winner of The Nordic Photo Competition for Seafarers 2023

Title: ”100% Humidity”

Jury statement: Classic black and white image. Quiet in the moment. A great composition that leaves nothing to chance!

A gift worth 5.000 DKK sponsored by Ulykkesforsikringsforbundet for Dansk Søfart, Denmark

2nd place

Title: “Standby”

Jury statement: For the feeling and presence that the image conveys. The focus is right and as a viewer, we are invited into the moment.

Photo equipment worth 5.000 NOK sponsored by Sjøfartsdirektoratet, Norway

3rd place

Title: “Frame Bearings”

Jury statement: The man’s focus in the rough, tough environment draws the eye. The composition, sharpness, and contrast are perfect!

Photo equipment worth 5.000 SEK. sponsored by Sjöfartstidningen, Sweden

4th place

Jury statement: An image that allows itself to be examined for a long time. The workers radiate calm, but to the viewer, the environment looks dangerous and dramatic. Despite a “messy” motif, the technique is sound.

Photo equipment worth 450 € sponsored af Vinnslutöðin hf. (VSV), Westmann Islands. Iceland

5th place

Title: “The tanker MARIE S passes the beautiful Torungen Lighthouse outbound from Arendal”

Jury statement: Two images are united in an obvious composition where structure and nature meet in harmony. Great colour tone!

Photo equipment worth 300 € sponsored by Finnlines

Honourable mention

Title: “The Waiting Game”

Jury statement: Beautiful colours in a nice composition, and we wonder what he is doing – is he thinking, scratching his beard, or talking on the phone with someone at home?

Honourable mention

Title: “Come here”
Jury statement: You can smell the fish and the hand with the tattoo is really cool. It could have benefited from more contrast and more work with sharpness and blurring. It can get a little messy.

Honourable mention

Title: “A grey morning”

Jury statement: Has a mood that strikes a very nice tone and a message about a green future, which you may not see immediately. This combined with a good balance and composition gives it an honourable mention.

Honourable mention

Title: “Sea of heaven”

Jury statement: How was it taken? Did they send up a drone with a fish-eye lens? Either way, it’s a very cool image that demands something from the viewer.

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The 2023 Danish Competition for Seafarers

NOTE FROM THE ORGANIZERS:
50 photographers participated with 283 pictures in the 2023 photo competition.

We received a total of 283 photos from 50 photographers (2022: 336 images from 50 photographers).
The judges of the competition were Kim Eggers, chief mate in Royal Arctic Line, teacher in photography Jens Kostrup, and photographer Olle Thorup.

This year, the judges had to find winners in the 4 categories: Photo of the Year, Nature, The Maritime Environment, and Life on Board, as well as find the “Joker” the “photo that, in the judges’ opinion, stands out”.

The judges were positive about the new way of awarding the winning photos and stated that “the new way of deciding the photo competition makes good sense”. In addition, the judges had this to say about this year’s photos:

“Once again this year, there were many great photos, and it has been exciting and challenging to choose the winners. We have considered the graphic design and composition, and at the same time, we wanted to find photos that tell a story. Many of the photos could be placed in several of the new categories, so we had a good discussion about where to place the winners. The motives are again this year very different and range from the concrete/realistic, describing the daily work at sea to abstract images with artistic and imaginative expressions.”

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