As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time for one of the highlights of our year to take place – the Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Awards (MGPA).
The MGPAs are an annual event held in honour of Mark Gunter (June 10, 1974 – November 29, 2015). Mark was a widely respected and popular photographer in the cycling community who tragically died of oesophageal cancer, leaving behind a wife and young son, as well as a portfolio of amazing work.
In partnership with Mark’s wife, Leeanne Gatien, we want to continue to honour Mark and let his name live on through an award that grows in prestige every year – a way of commemorating Mark’s contribution to the community and to shine a spotlight on the best cycling photographs of each year.
The past editions of the awards have been an outstanding success, with thousands of amazing submissions and the awards continuing to build on that legacy. This year marks the ninth running of the MGPA, and we can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store.
There are two categories that photographers can enter, giving everyone a chance to take part – Professional and Amateur. The only requirement is that the photo has a connection with cycling. However, we exclude the disciplines that fall under the umbrella of gravity mountain biking (downhill and enduro), as there are competitions better suited for those photographers out there. Please see submission guidelines here.
The Awards this year will be judged by a panel of professional photographers who will determine the winners in each of the categories.
In the Professional category, there’s both prestige and the perpetual trophy to compete for. Meanwhile, the Amateur category will be in the running for some fantastic prizes from our generous sponsor Velocio. We thank them for their support in donating these prizes for this competition.
Of course, the prizes are just one reason to get involved in the Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Awards. There’s a greater good at the core of the competition – funds raised from entry fees ($10AUD [approx US$6.50/€6/£5] per photo) will be donated towards cancer research through Tour de Cure. This year there’s a way that you can get involved even if you’re not a photographer – you can vote on entries and make donations to Tour de Cure.
For the first week of the competition, we’ll be running an early-bird promotion, with a 20% discount on each photo entered. We’ll be featuring posts on Instagram under the hashtag #markgunterphotoawards2024, and will publish a couple of galleries on the site showcasing our favourites throughout the competition.
Entries are open now, and will close at midnight on January 6th (ADST), with winners to be announced on January 13th. We look forward to seeing your photos!
***To encourage early entries, for the first week entrants will receive 20% off per entry.***
Prizes
Amateur prizes:
Thanks to the generosity of Velocio who have provided amateur category prizes for this competition!
Fan favourite:
The Fan’s Favourite will be awarded to the photo with the most votes, from either the Professional or Amateur categories.
1st place – $500 AUD
2nd place – $250 AUD
3rd place – $100 AUD
Professional prizes:
We celebrate and recognise Professional photographers with the Mark Gunter perpetual trophy and medallions.
1st Place The Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Award perpetual trophy + gold medallion
2nd Place The Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Award silver medallion
3rd Place The Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Award bronze medallion
Every year the trophy gets passed onto the Winner, and your name will forever be a part of the Awards.
The winners honour roll:
2023: Pauline Ballet (France) / Harry Talbot (New Zealand)
2022: Bram Berkien (Netherlands)
2021: Sean Hardy (United Kingdom)
2020: Chris Auld (United Kingdom)
2019: Alex Broadway (United Kingdom)
2018: Dario Belingheri (Italy)
2017: Tim Bardsley-Smith (Australia)
2016: Wouter Roosenboom (Netherlands)
Judges
Each year we are fortunate to have some of the best photographic eyes in the world be the ones who chose the best submitted photographs of 2023. This year they are:
Submission guidelines and rules
You can find the rules here.
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