GCT's 2009 Photographic Competition Winners

Out of 340 submissions received for GCT's 2009 photo competition, a panel of judges selected 11 winning photos including their overall "Judges' Winner". We received and overwhelming number of online votes for our supporters' favourite image to become the overall "Public's winner". Together the 12 winning images will feature in our GCT 2011 calendar which will be available for purchase in May.

Our 2010 competition will be launched in April, so please do come back to the photographic competition pages then to enter your images!

"Judges' Winner" - Martin Symonds

The panel of judges this year were world-renown photographers Mark Carwardine, Tui De Roy and Pete Oxford. The overall Judges' winner is Martin Symonds' stunning photo of frigatebirds soaring over a steamy ocean surrounding Fernandina Island after last year's volcanic eruption.

Steam clouds form over a boiling ocean during Fernandina's 2009 volcanic eruption © Martin Symonds

Judge's comments

Mark Carwardine - "A very dramatic image showing the dramatic elemental forces that made and shaped the Galapagos Islands, with a few small frigatebirds to give a sense of scale and place."

Tui De Roy - "getting to photograph a volcanic eruption in Galapagos is a matter of shear luck. But the technical excellence - the perfect framing from a moving boat, precise exposure rendering depth and texture - are not accidental. The light, the motion, and the frigatebirds flying in just the right place, are all exquisite."

Pete Oxford - "Beautiful light on a very dramatic scene, boiling ocean caused by molten lava reaching the sea. A well executed image. The three frigate birds add a life-force to the image and to me represent the harsh reality of survival in the Islands. I can imagine them here taking advantage of the dead fish, caught in the boiling water which have floated to the surface."

"Public's Winner" - Gemma Chandratillake

Gemma Chandratillake's entertaining photo of a seaside conversation between a Marine Iguana and a Sally Lightfoot Crab received the most votes in our online poll from December to January, and thus won the coveted "Public's winner" of our 2009 photo competition.

The iguana and the crab © Gemma Chandratillake

Tui De Roy - "This photo is superb: clear, well composed, technically flawless, and above all, startling and highly amusing, a very rare trait amongst wildlife images. Even though in actual fact I'm sure both animals were just minding their own business, it looks like the iguana is lecturing to the crab, who in turn appears to be staring up with undivided attention. This personifies the trust and intimacy between species - the essence of Galapagos - and is a darn rare shot considering that the iguana's mouth would have been open for just a split second."