La Mer has announced the grand prize winner and runners-up of the “La Mer Oceans” photography competition, which was held to celebrate this year’s World Oceans Day. With over 2,750 submissions, winner, Richard Wylie, was inspired by the beauty and grace of creatures found in the ocean, resulting in the magnificent image of the rare weedy seadragon.
To celebrate the ocean’s beauty and bounty, La Mer and National Geographic collaborated to hold the competition with photo submissions from around the globe that captured the majesty of our world oceans. The global competition, saw breathtaking interpretations of our ocean’s grace and power – with runners-up drawing inspiration from the sea’s splendor and playful animal expressions and interactions to the sheer ethereal wonderment of the oceans.
“This international photography competition exemplifies our ongoing dedication to capturing people’s love for the sea, and subsequently raising awareness of the importance of ocean conservation,” said La Mer General Manager Sandra Main. “The caliber of the winning and semi-finalist photographs is outstanding and speaks to the mystical and inspirational effects of the sea.”
The ocean’s beauty and bounty was most spectacularly captured by Richard Wylie, who swept through the competition, which was judged on creativity (33%), photographic quality (33%) and effective illustration of the contest theme (34%) by Brian Skerry, National Geographic Photographer; Monica C. Corcoran, Senior Photo Editor, National Geographic; and, Brian Clark Howard, Environmental Editor & Producer, National Geographic.
On winning the grand prize, Wylie said, “Being a marine biologist, I have always felt incredibly privileged to work and play in an environment that I truly love, and feel that my photography deeply reflects that passion. Receiving top honors in a competition designed to increase awareness about the world’s ocean therefore is a wonderful combination.”
“When taking this photograph, I was lucky to have perfect diving conditions and the usually hidden seadragons had come out to play. This was one of the last shots of the dive and I was on my back, under the weeds, shooting up to capture the fantastic colors of the seadragon, and the sun’s rays in the background. Sometimes you’re lucky to have everything come together to produce a shot that feels like it accurately reflects the awe-inspiring nature of the underwater world,” he said.
The grand prize winner is awarded a National Geographic Photography Expedition led by a National Geographic photographer. On this 12-day adventure, the winner will explore the northwest seaboard of North America, an unspoiled labyrinth of tiny islands, spectacular fjords and abundant wildlife. In addition, the winner will luxuriate in a year’s supply of Crème de la Mer. Ten runners-up will receive USD$1,000 worth of La Mer products, an ocean-themed National Geographic print and a copy of Brian Skerry’s worldrenowned Ocean Soul book.
Grand Prize Winner
Richard Wylie – Australia
Runners-Up
Peter Allinson, M.D. – USA
Derek Bissell – Canada
Jorge Alves – Portugal
Paul Patrick Cruz – Philippines
Nat Sumanatemeya – Thailand
Franco Banfi – Switzerland
Christopher Martin – Canada
Hansa Tangmanpoowadol – Thailand
Kimball Andrew Schmidt – USA
Alexander Semenov – Russia
