We are delighted to announce the winners of this year’s Adventure Medic Photo Contest. We were looking for “original images that showcase the wide range of medical roles and environments in which we work”. We had over 140 entries and the standard was high, so it was a huge pleasure for the team to look through them. Our fantastic guest judge, the world-renowned adventure photographer Krystle Wright, has chosen the top five. To see some of the other great entries, please head over to our Instagram and thanks again to Krystle, our sponsors and all those who took part.
Winner: Tom Everett
Winter Medevac to South Pole.
2016 in Antarctica saw two Twin Otter aircraft and their respective crews achieve success in an international rescue effort with the medevac of two patients from South Pole at midwinter. The photo shows Medevac and Search and Rescue planes on their stopover at Rothera Research Station. Preparing in the darkness of Antarctic winter the crew await a weather window to make the 2000km flight on to South Pole. They will face outside air temperatures of -60 degrees Celsius, altitude exposure on the South Pole plateau and no sunlight for the duration of the Medevac.
Krystle’s Comments / I chose this as my winner as I wanted to see an image that could interpret the entry theme the strongest. The combination of the surreal beautiful landscape with the medevac planes showcasing the job at hand. It feels like a peaceful moment in transition as the rich colours compliment the atmosphere.
Runner Up: Zoe Burton
Spitsbergen, Arctic Svalbard.
Supporting young explorers on a 100 mile pulk adventure: some of them had never pitched a tent before joining this expedition.
Krystle’s Comments / The layers within the composition are striking and add depth to the frozen landscape. The moment of the people climbing up really showcases the hard work and difficulty of working in such an extreme environment. Great moment captured!
Highly Commended: David Hall
Chachakumani, Bolivian Andes.
Researchers take a well-earned break to watch the sunset at Advanced Base Camp.
Krystle’s Comments / Wonderfully composed and great timing to capturing the subtle moment of taking in nature’s beauty.
Highly Commended: Chris Parry
Gobi Desert Ultramarathon.
The image was taken while covering a 400km in China for Exile Medics. The shear variation in scenery made the runners’ achievements even more impressive – there was snow, high winds, searing temperatures, mountains, ravines and then near one of my checkpoints was this bizarre landscape of interlocking valleys which looked like a mountain range taken from an airplane when in fact I had only climbed up the nearest hill for 10 minutes max. For scale the little black dots are tumbleweed sized bushes rather than trees!
Krystle’s Comments / The composition and aerial take of the landscape really showcases the harsh environment the event is taking place in.
Highly Commended: Sven Christjar Skaiaa
Fuel, Patriot Hills, Antarctica, 2009.
Working as a doctor in Antarctica involves a multitude of tasks not commonly connected to patient care. Here, loading fuel barrels in a snow drift.
Krystle’s Comments / The details can so easily be overlooked but this image is a great reminder to the precarious positions that we find ourselves in when working in the field in remote and extreme circumstances.
The winner receives a Remote Medical International First Aid Kit courtesy of the Institute of Remote Healthcare and a Mountain Equipment Helium 3.8 sleeping mat from Adventure Medic. The first runner-up also receives also a Mountain Equipment Helium 3.8 sleeping mat.
