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After a month of inspiring entries, the 2024 Mark Gunter Photo Awards are coming to an end.
This annual showcase of the best in cycling photography is something we’ve been proud to be involved in since its inception, in memory of beloved Australian cycling photographer Mark Gunter and in collaboration with his wife, Leeanne Gatien. Across both professional and amateur categories, the Mark Gunter Photo Awards show cycling in all its beauty and diversity: road riders, cyclocross riders, gravel riders, town bike riders, all experiencing the transcendence of riding a bike.
Entries to this year’s competition are now closing, but you can still get involved by voting for your favourites until 18 Jan. From here, it’s over to our panel of judges – themselves respected photographers in their own right – who will share their shortlists and then get together to determine the 2024 Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year.
Until then, here’s the final weekly showcase of the competition.
Professional category
This photo shows Irish rider Conor Murphy racing in Limerick in January 2024. It was a cold but very bright day and I’d seen the idea for this shot as I made my way around the course. I lay down on the ground to get the shot nice and wide, and with as much silhouette as possible. As Conor passed me I managed to get the sun in the perfect position behind him and the debris in his wake. It was great to capture such a talented young rider like this as he ascends the ranks. | Photo by Tom Scott @tomscottphotos_ |No cyclists here. Just a father holding his son after a passage at the Tour of France. | Photo by Wout Beel @woutbeel |My partner Leighann and I rode up to the Horn at Mount Buffalo on one of the clearest nights of the year just before the mountain was covered in snow for Winter. An amazing night ride to ponder our place in the universe… | Photo by Matt Rousu @matt_rousu_photography | The Tour of Britain 2024 was the Team’s (Pro-Noctis, 200 Degrees Coffee, Hargreaves Contracting) biggest race to date and they had performed brilliantly. The weather had been good all week, until the lead cars reached the foot of The Rake in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, when the heavens opened. The crowds of spectators crowded under the shelter of adjacent trees, the hillside opposite, my backdrop, dropped into featureless grey cloud and the light dropped worryingly. When Bexy Dew (left) appeared, battling with the best riders in the peloton, I realised the weather, as challenging as it was, simply contributed to the high drama of the race, and created a fitting finale to the race. Soaked to the bone, and with a camera all but drowning, I returned to my car to head for the finish line, over the moon with the image I’d created and the atmosphere I’d captured. | Photo by Adam Winfield @adam_winfield_media |I love to catch up early morning lights on the riders, here for the start of the 2024 Dirty Warrny in Australia. | Photo by Jean-Pierre Ronco @imagewriterphotography |These common sights: Gulping chestfuls of air, racers sprawled on the ground, bodies contorted into whichever shape they deem most comfortable at the time. A metaphoric evisceration of willing subjects, forcing every joule of energy into forward propulsion – bar to bar, pushed ever deeper, harder, inside out. Bjorn Riley of Trek Future Racing, after a close finish during the U23 XCC at the 8th round of the UCI MTB World Series in Mont Saint-Anne, Canada. | Photo by Piper Albrecht @piperalbrecht |A duo as synonymous as bangers and mash, the Tourmalet and the Tour de France have a history like no other, so when it pops up as a mid stage opportunity, you’ve got to take the chance to shoot its mythical beauty. | Photo by Zac Williams @z_w_photography |Tadej Pogacar celebrates his win during Giro d’Italia 2024 mountain stage in Livigno | Photo by Sara Cavallini @sarettacavallini |Group pass under the bridge during the Muscat classic 2024 | Photo by Massimo Fulgenzi @massimofulgenzi81 |She lost the stage but won the TDF with 4 seconds! It took just this 4 seconds to realize that she had won the biggest cycling race on the planet. What a moment to witness, Mangifiek. | Photo by Joris Knapen @jozza_cyclingpics |
Amateur category
A ride up Teide in the glow of the setting sun was a truly magical experience. The route wound through a rugged volcanic landscape that seemed to come alive in warm shades of orange, pink, and gold. Every kilometer revealed new sights—jagged rocks, fields of solidified lava, and vast expanses that took on an almost surreal charm in the sunset light. The air was crisp, and a gentle breeze brought energy as we made our way toward the majestic volcano. As the sun dipped below the horizon, shadows grew longer, and the surrounding silence emphasized the grandeur of the place. It wasn’t just a journey—it was a moment filled with freedom, adventure, and awe at the beauty of nature, one I will undoubtedly remember for a long time.| Photo by Maciej Grzybowski @cyclingmill | This was Ben’s first attempt at summiting White Mountain, the second highest peak in California. It was not his day, but he learned enough to put the finishing touches on his kit — and his training plan — for the next one. | Photo by Liam Lawlor @velo_scout | Llewelyn Kinch of Taap Kalas on the last lap at Lea Valley, emptying the tank to win the 1/2/3 crit.| Photo by Mark James @ markovichjames |A rider raising funds on behalf of The Firelies Tour begins the long ascent of one of the climbs due to feature a month later in the Tour de France. June, 2024. | Photo by Matt Fee @mattfee | Cycling lives the places where it goes, crossing eyes, lifes and stories. | Photo by Francesco Bonasera@francescob82 |This panning shot is taken during a content creating session with a friend of mine at the trainstation in Leuven, Belgium. The photo is perfectly symetric and shows how you can be one with your bike. | Photo by Yves Claes @yvesclaes | I took this photo in Clerkenwell, London UK. The reflective stained glass windows always catch my eye when I walk past this pub on my morning commute. I finally had my camera to try catching something cool with them and this cyclist’s outfit was a perfect complement to the almost surreal quality of the reflection. | Photo by Rick Dolezalek @ rickydolez | With the start of summer and daylight saving Sydney crit racing starts. Providing some great action and good light for photos! | Photo by Stuart Baker @stuhbaker | From my weekly cyclocross series, this was taken from the top of a milling pile in the compost center where the event takes place. A few kids use it as a spectator mountain, and I thought they framed the composition nicely. | Photo by Gabe Lloyd @thegabelloyd | After the finish of a stage of Tour des Alpes Maritimes. Romain Bardet and his son Angus. | Photo byYves Perret @yves_perret |
