2024’s Ultimate Sea Views Revealed!

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, has announced the winners of its twelfth annual photography competition, showcasing images relating to all aspects of the UK and Ireland’s historic relationship with the sea.

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Society launches 2024 maritime photography competition!

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society is once again on the lookout for photographers to submit their favourite images of the sea, for its twelfth annual competition honouring the UK and Ireland’s proud maritime heritage.

The competition encourages photographers of all abilities to submit images that capture the British Isles’ lasting relationship with the sea – including its merchant ships, fishermen, coasts, harbours and ports.

In the competition’s twelfth year, the Society is encouraging individuals to go out and capture new stunning sea views for their photo albums, with the overall winner receiving a £500 photographic equipment voucher.

In addition to the dedicated entry submission form on the Society’s website, entrants can also submit photos through its Instagram channel (@ShipwreckedMariners) by using the hashtag #SMSPhotoComp2024.

The competition will once again be judged by a prestigious panel of experts, including former Sunday Times Picture Editor, Ray Wells, Picture Editor of the i, Sophie Batterbury, and the Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Capt. Justin Osmond RN.

Discussing the launch of the competition, Captain Justin Osmond RN, said: “For more than a decade it has been incredible to see the competition grow and the standard of entries continues to impress. Each year it’s amazing to witness the nation’s profound appreciation for our coastlines and maritime heritage. I am confident this upcoming competition will be yet another remarkable event!

“While our maritime industry can often go unnoticed and unacknowledged, it continues to be vital in sustaining us as an island nation and the competition serves as a great platform for us to proudly exhibit and commemorate our enduring connection to the sea.”

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society supports fishermen, 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. A total of £1.35 million was paid in grants during the past year in over 1,850 cases of need.

To enter the competition, individuals can submit their photographs through the dedicated form on the website page before the deadline on 23 August 2024. Photographers can also enter their pictures via email, post or on the Society’s Instagram channel (@ShipwreckedMariners) using the hashtag #SMSPhotoComp2024.

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The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, has announced the winners of its annual photography competition, showcasing images relating to all aspects of the UK’s historic relationship with the sea.

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2022 Ultimate Sea Views revealed!

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society has announced the winner of its tenth annual photography competition, showcasing images relating to all aspects of the UK’s historic relationship with the sea.

This year, the charity’s annual competition received more than 1,000 entries from amateur and professional photographers alike, with the judging panel awarding the overall prize to Justin Minns for his entry, ‘The Old Oyster Beds’, a stunning aerial shot taken in Brightlingsea, Essex. The image won the photographer a £500 prize voucher for photographic equipment.

In addition to the overall prize, winners were also named in four categories:

• Coastal Views: Andrew Hocking – ‘Unicorn’ taken in Godrevy, Cornwall
• People and Recreation: Jason Thompson – ‘My Playground’ taken on Skegness Beach
• Industry: Jonathan Killick – ‘Wind Turbines’ taken in Lincolnshire
• Ships and Wrecks: Justin Minns – ‘Scattered’ taken at Thames Estuary, Essex

The competition was judged at Trinity House earlier this month by a prestigious panel of photography experts, with online picture editor at The Telegraph, Neil Stevenson, former Sunday Times picture editor, Ray Wells and picture editor of the i, Sophie Batterbury joining Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Capt. Justin Osmond RN.

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’s enduring connection with the sea, including merchant ships, fishermen, coastline, harbours and ports.

Captain Justin Osmond said, “As we are now in the tenth year of the photography competition it is amazing to see the nation still enjoying our coastlines and supporting our maritime industry with a passion. To receive the same fantastic standard of images as when we first launched the competition a decade ago is brilliant to see.

“Our seafaring community continues to face significant challenges every year despite the outstanding contribution it makes to our lives, so it is important that we are able to use the competition as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate our maritime industry and ensure that those working within it have access to vital support.

“We thought that Justin Minns’ winning image, ‘The Old Oyster Beds’, really encapsulated the beauty in Britain’s coastlines, an area of the fishing industry which can often feel neglected, but was particularly striking with the shipwreck’s presence alongside the oyster beds. As always, on behalf of the Society, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of those who entered this year and hopefully we will see you back again in 2023!”

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society supports fishermen, 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. A total of £1.3 million was paid in grants during the past year in over 1,700 cases of need.

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Society launches ninth annual photography competition!

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society is once again on the lookout for photographers to submit their favourite images of the sea, for its ninth annual competition honouring the UK’s proud maritime heritage.

Launched to mark the charity’s Seafarers Support Week (20-26 June), the competition encourages photographers of all abilities to submit images that capture the UK’s unique relationship with the sea, including its merchant ships, fishermen, coasts, harbours and ports.

Laurence Hartwell – Beam Trawlers Landing to the Fish Market at Night (2020 Overall Winner)

With the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to see restrictions imposed for much of the year, the Society is once again encouraging individuals to look back through their photo albums and submit images old and new, with the overall winner receiving a £500 photographic equipment voucher.

In addition to the dedicated entry submission form on the Society’s website, entrants can now also submit photos through its newly-launched Instagram channel (@ShipwreckedMariners) by using the hashtag #SMSPhotoComp2021.

The competition will once again be judged by a prestigious panel of experts, with Online Picture Editor at The Telegraph, Neil Stevenson joining the existing judging panel of former Sunday Times Picture Editor, Ray Wells, Picture Editor of the i, Sophie Batterbury and the Chief Executive of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, Capt. Justin Osmond RN.

On the launch of the competition, Captain Justin Osmond RN, said: “The last year has been a tough time for us all and especially for the key workers within the maritime industry who have kept the country afloat with much needed imports from overseas.

“Our industry often suffers from being out of sight and out of mind, but it truly is essential in keeping us going as an island nation and enabling us to go about our daily lives.

“The photography competition allows us to showcase and celebrate our relationship with the sea and having received a record-breaking number of entries last year, we are more excited than ever to see everyone’s fantastic and unique images over the course of this summer.”

The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society supports fishermen, 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 2020, a £1 million Covid response fund was set up by the Society, to directly help those in the maritime community who were impacted by the pandemic.

To enter the competition, individuals can submit their photographs through the dedicated form at https://shipwreckedmariners.org.uk/photography-competition-2021/ before the deadline on 31 August 2021. Photographers can also enter their pictures via email, post or on the Society’s new Instagram channel (@ShipwreckedMariners) using the hashtag #SMSPhotoComp2021.

Competition T&Cs:

• The closing date for entries is 23:59 on 31 August 2021
• Entrants must state whether they are a professional or amateur photographer upon entry
• All images submitted must be taken within current UK COVID-19 government guidelines
• By entering the competition, you give permission for your images to be recreated by the Charity, competition sponsors and any media partner free of charge
• This competition is open to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland aged 16 years or over
• It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by these rules. The decision of the judges is final. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions
• All entries must be received by the advertised closing time and date
• Entries should be submitted through the entry form on the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society website www.shipwreckedmariners.org.uk, via email ShipwreckedFishermen@definitionagency.com or through the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society Instagram page. Entrants should include their own name, address and telephone number. Postal entries may be sent to Definition Agency, 1 Park Row, LS1 5HN.
• All images submitted must be the work of the individual submitting them. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that any images they submit have been taken with the permission of the subject and do not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws. By submitting images, entrants confirm that the photograph they are submitting is their own work and that they own the copyright to it
• Copyright in all images submitted for this competition remains with the respective entrants. However, in consideration of their providing them for the Competition, each entrant grants a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual licence to the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society and sponsors of the competition to feature any or all of the submitted images in any of their publications, their websites and/or in any promotional material connected to this competition.
• Late entries will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt
• The winning entry will be that which is judged to be the most visually appealing, original and self-explanatory. The winner will be notified within three weeks of the closing date of the competition
• The winners will be asked to take part in publicity
• The winners’ name and hometown may be used for the Charity’s publicity purposes
• All prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives

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