UK’S ULTIMATE SEA VIEWS REVEALED!

National maritime charity, the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, has announced the overall winner of its fourteenth annual photography competition, showcasing images that celebrate the UK and Ireland’s enduring relationship with the sea.

‘The Needles Lighthouse’ – by Jimmy Colley

This year, the charity’s annual competition received over 600 entries from amateur and professional photographers, with the judging panel awarding the overall prize to Jimmy Colley for his entry, ‘The Needles Lighthouse’, a stunning bird’s-eye view of The Needles lighthouse on the Isle of Wight. Jimmy received a £1,000 voucher for photographic equipment.

In addition to the overall prize, winners were also named across five categories: Coastal Views, People and Recreation, Industry, Ships and Wrecks, and Maritime Safety.

• Coastal Views: Luke Donockley – ‘Walking on water’ taken in Inner Farne
• People and Recreation: Mike Freeman – ‘Four in a row’ taken in Falmouth
• Industry: Thomas O’Dell –‘The Timeless Grit of Life in Porthusek’ taken in Porthusek, North Cornwall
• Ships and Wrecks: Reiss McGuire – ‘At the edge of Loch Linnhe sits the Old Boat of Caol, telling tall tales to anyone who’ll listen’ taken in Corpach, Fort William, Scotland
• Maritime Safety: Kieran McGeoch – ‘American Muscle’, taken in The North Sea from onboard HMS Prince of Wales

The winning images were selected by a panel of photography and maritime experts, including Sophie Batterbury, former head of pictures at the ‘i’ Ray Wells, former Sunday Times picture editor, Karin Andreasson, news picture editor of the Guardian, and Captain Justin Osmond RN, Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society.

The Society, which provides financial support to former seafarers and their dependants, encouraged photographers of all abilities to submit pictures that captured the essence of the UK and Ireland’s enduring connection with the sea, including merchant ships, fishers, coastlines, harbours, ports and wildlife.

Captain Justin Osmond said, “Now in its fourteenth year, the Ultimate Sea View photography competition continues to showcase our love for the coast and the pride we take in our maritime heritage. This year’s entries once again demonstrated the extraordinary breadth of the UK and Ireland’s relationship with the sea, from dramatic coastal landscapes and leisure activities to the people, vessels and industries that depend upon it.

Jimmy Colley’s winning image, The Needles Lighthouse, immediately captured the judges’ attention. Its striking bird’s-eye perspective offers a fresh view of one of Britain’s best-known maritime landmarks, perfectly capturing the spirit of an ‘Ultimate Sea View’.

Those who work at sea make a vital contribution to our daily lives, yet the seafaring community continues to face significant challenges. This competition gives us an opportunity to celebrate our maritime industry, and the people behind it, while raising awareness of the support available to former seafarers and their dependants when they need it.

Congratulations to Jimmy and all of this year’s category winners, and a huge thank you to everyone who entered. The standard was exceptionally high, and we are delighted to share these remarkable photographs with the public.”

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society supports fishers, merchant mariners and their dependants who are suffering financial hardship, whether due to accident, ill health, unemployment or in retirement after a life spent working at sea. In the last year the Society distributed grants amounting to £1.4 million in 1,700 cases of need.