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

22 May 2018 | Giving Back |

Reading Time: 4 MINUTES

It seems like just the other day that the calendar shifted from 2017 to 2018 and with it the launch of Kenya's newest photographic competition, The Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year

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

January Winner – ‘RUN FOR LIFE’ BY PAOLO TORCHIO

 

February Winner

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

 

March Winner

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

 

April-Winner

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

Jan Highly Commended

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

 

Feb Highly Commended

Highly Commended – ‘Confrontation’ by Paolo Torchio

 

March Highly Commended

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

 

April-Highly-Commended

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.

Malaika Camp

A visit to Malaika Camp

 

Salas Camp

A visit to Salas Camp

 

Sarova 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

AUTHOR: Adam Bannister

A South African-trained biologist, safari guide, author, filmmaker and photographer, Adam is, above all else, a gifted storyteller. After spending the past 10 years working in some of the world’s most beautiful wild places – the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa, Rajasthan in India, Brazil’s Pantanal, and the rainforests of Manu National Park in Peru – he is delighted to share his stories of one of the loveliest game reserves of them all, the Maasai Mara.

COMMENTS (2)
Francis Bagbey
May 23, 2018

Would it be possible to give the camera type and settings for all these fabulous photos? I assume some of them would have been taken at some significant distance with a lens longer than my 300 meter Nikon D3400!

REPLY
Azei
May 23, 2018

Wow! I love the excitement you find in the Masai Mara day-in day-out!

REPLY
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