1 Competition, 4 Monthly Winners & 100’s of Extraordinary Images

In creating this competition, we strive to achieve the following:

• Using beautiful imagery to showcase the Mara as a year-round destination for extraordinary game viewing
• Using the Mara to raise much needed funds for six non-profit initiatives working in and around the Greater Maasai Mara ensuring its sustainability for generations to come

And I can happily report that it is indeed achieving just that!

Four Months Four Victors 
The calibre of the photography January through April has been exceptional, but at the end of each month there can only be one winner.

January Winner – ‘RUN FOR LIFE’ BY PAOLO TORCHIO

February Winner – ‘There’s Food for Everyone’ by Ketan Khambhatta

March Winner – ‘Martial Eagle feeding on a White Stork’ by Torsten Brehm

April Winner – ‘The Guardian Of The Night’ by Fernando Morales Roca

As much as we love the wildebeest and the zebra there is so much more to this majestic Reserve. It is for this reason that we put a rule in place that for the first five months of the year we would not accept Migration images. These months are dedicated to photographers capturing ‘the rest’ – of which there is a staggering diversity.

Hats off to …  
In addition to the winners there have been some remarkable photos that didn’t crack first place, but are certainly worth a mention

Highly Commended – ‘Cheetah Cubs Playing At Sunrise’ by Mario Vigo

Highly Commended – ‘Confrontation’ by Paolo Torchio

Highly Commended – ‘Reflection of one of the five musketeers’ by Gurcharan Roopra

Highly Commended – ‘Eye of the Storm’ by India Bulkeley

1-minute video clips to make your jaw drop  
Each month we compile all the entries into a 60 second video for our YouTube channel. Hold on to your hat …

Follow the money 
The competition has been very well supported with entries coming in daily. Each image comes with a $20 entry fee (or KSh1,000 if paid locally by M-Pesa), the full proceeds of which go to one of six conservation partners – and the photographers get to choose.  In addition to showcasing imagery and photographic talent, the competition raises funds and exposure for worthy boots-on-the-ground initiatives. Just reward for the unsung heroes working to preserve this lovely piece of wilderness.

Spreading the Word 
A fun part of the competition has been my travels to various camps across the Mara. These road trips have taken on a life of their own and allow me to not only cross-navigate the Reserve multiple times, but to see a plethora of camps, meet camp managers, address guiding teams, socialise with researchers and convey to everyone the reasons for the competition. The long-term goal for this competition is for it to belong to the people of the Mara; a way for the them to show the world how important it is that we all club together to conserve the jewel of East Africa.

A visit to Malaika Camp

A visit to Salas Camp

A visit to Sarova Camp

How to Enter 
To enter or view the latest galleries and winners be sure to check out www.thegreatestmasaimara.com