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MSW Reportal
MSW Reportal

Swedish favorites among Icelanders

25.02.06. One of the highlights of the year has finally arrived – the conclusion of the Nordic Photo Contest for Seafarers. With entries from all Nordic countries, the total came to an impressive 859 submissions from 143 participants.

As per tradition, five winners were to be chosen from the 15 entries selected by each country’s semi-final jury. This year, Iceland’s representative, Hilmar Snorrason, was in charge of organizing the event. The Nordic jury was composed of professional photographer Þórhallur Jónsson and Sigfús Ólafur Helgason, a former fisherman and photography enthusiast with a passion for Icelandic fishing vessel history.

The day before the big reveal, the jury got to see the 75 anonymized photos that needed judging. Þórhallur Jónsson describes the process as follows:

Birds-eye-view of a person swabbing the red deck
Jörgen Språng won the Nordic competition with this photo, titled "Above Conrado".

–I've been a judge in photo competitions before, so it was no problem, just a lot of fun. It was quite simple to pick out the photos that stood out to us. We just looked at the photos and went with the feelings they conveyed. We didn’t consider whether the same photographer took multiple pictures in the selection."

For this year's competition, the organizers decided that one person could only win a prize for one photo. The jury was instructed that if multiple photos from the same photographer had been selected, the second and any subsequent photos would be swapped with the strongest entries that received honorable mentions.

When the winners were announced, this time via video link, it became clear that the new rule didn't need to be applied to this year's selection. The competition's prize-winning entries came from familiar names, all of whom had previously been recognized in Nordic or national competitions. Additionally, five honorable mentions were awarded. Among the ten elevated entries, the distribution between Sweden and Norway was even, with Iceland claiming two spots. Topping the list were three Swedes, namely Jörgen Språng, Staffan Ahlstrand, and Daniel Möllerström, even though Möllerström works in and competes for Norway. Returnee Adam Andersson and first-time participant Simon Fredrin each received an honorable mention.

We, the organizers, thank all for their beautiful contributions and congratulate the winners. Your photos not only showcase stunning and incredible environments but also offer insights into what life at sea can look like. You enrich us. Keep it up!

TEXT: JIMMY ERIKSSON

Winners Nordic Photo Contest for Seafarers

Birds-eye-view of a person swabbing the red deck
Nordic 1st place ”Above Conrado”, Jörgen Språng, Cook, MT Bitflower, Sweden - Jury's motivation: A man at daily work but captured from a fun perspective. The color combination of yellow, red and not least the the sailor's headdress, lends the image a special touch. Exemplary image structure.
A heavily iced ship's bow. Some of the crew are trying to de-ice it
Nordic 2nd place ”Deicing”, Staffan Ahlstrand, Teknisk chef, IB Idun, Sweden - Jury's motivation: The photo is not technically perfect. Slightly moved. But the harshness that shines from the ship and men captures the eye and sends a message to us who live in the land. Being a fisherman is not always easy. That's the story of this cool photo.
Three men are working with an anchor chain. Sparks are flying across the ship's deck
Nordic 3rd place “Dancing sparks” – Daniel Möllerström, Bosun, Njord Viking, Norway - The jury's motivation: There is a lot of life in this picture. The men stand amidst the sparks. The struggle with the chain is clearly difficult. But those on board know how to take care of themselves and the ship. Very good image composition.
A fisherman in helmet is working with a fishing net
Nordic 4th place "Networking – Davíð Már Sigurðsson, Trawler Drangey, Iceland - The jury's motivation: Sharp and concise image. A high-quality environmental portrait, technically very well executed, with exemplary image composition.
An iceberg is visible through the ship's porthole
Nordic 5th place “Icebergs through the valve” – Andreas Wolden, Matros/nettmann, Kronprins Haakon, Norway - The jury's motivation: The photographer is creative and knows how to capture the moment. He finds the perfect frame and snaps the shot. The result is this classic and romantic maritime mood photo. Very well done

Honorable mentions

Hundreds of seagulls are flying around
“Hungry birds” – Davíð Már Sigurðsson, Trawler Drangey, Iceland - The jury's motivation: Beautiful nature photo. The birds fill the frame, which works very well. The bird in focus having a different color makes it stand out more, almost 3D-like. Technically well executed.
Sailor in a white helmet carrying a large chunk of ice aboard an iced ship
“Ice breaking” – Han Lwin Oo, Oiler, Atlantic Tsubaki, Norway - The jury's motivation: A well-executed environmental portrait of a person in a specific situation. If we had seen more of the sea, which is glimpsed on the left, this picture might have won an award
A fisherman in an orange raincoat holding a fish, with seagulls in the background
“Harry aboard Emma” – Kjell-Vidar Forsberg, Captain, Emma V, Norway - The jury's motivation: The joy radiating from the fisherman makes this photo extremely enjoyable to look at.
A ship's bow fills the image, some sailors are looking out of the anchor hatch and seem to be communicating with those standing at the bottom of the image
”Helping hand” – Adam Andersson, Matros, IB Atle, Sweden - The jury's motivation: There is something ominous about this photo. The men are so very small, but despite their smallness, they confront the forces of nature. And in this particular case, they might even win.
A ship is towing a rig and is flanked by two smaller ships
”Towing a rig” – Simon Fredrin, First mate, Njord Viking, Sweden - The jury's motivation: Extremely technically well-executed photograph. Nicely framed.

Swedish finalists

A man is cutting another man's hair on board, outdoors in the sunshine.
Swedish 1st place "Barber" – Adam Andersson, Matros, IB Atle - The jury's motivation: This is a natural picture that tells a story with warm, pleasant colors, which feel exotic to us. It evokes emotions that many similar pictures do not. The lines in the hairdresser's elbows and the ladder form a neat angle without the picture feeling staged. The composition is very good but does not necessarily follow all the rules of art, which we see as a positive. The photographer has managed to capture an everyday moment where we get close enough for it to feel intimate without intruding. We pause and look for a long time, and that characterizes a really good picture.
A man is walking on a gangway with something resembling a bag in his hand, between two ships
Swedish 2nd place "Going home" – Staffan Ahlstrand, Chief engineer, IB Idun - The jury's motivation: The focal length does a lot to help us understand the scale here. If the photographer had been closer with a more wide-angle lens, we wouldn't get the same feeling. It is an incredibly clear image, where the first thing we see is a human silhouette. When we look further, we see that there is a lot going on around. A symmetrical composition that follows the rule of thirds, with the person in the upper section. It is skillful to make something so busy be read clearly and still be exciting. There are contrasts between large and rough and small and fragile, a foreground and a background, and also a story.
A ship is towing a rig, flanked by two smaller ships
Swedish 3rd place ”Towing a rig” – Simon Fredrin, First mate, Njord Viking - The jury's motivation: We get the feeling of a scene from an action movie. It is an image that is easy to read, thanks to a great composition - both in terms of the lines that lead the eye back and forth in the image, and the repetition of the boats. The yellow in the middle ship pops against the blue. The clouds play into the photographer's hands and help both to create movement and to lead the eye towards what is being towed. Only when we step back do we see those who are towing, and that is one of the things that makes us linger on the image. It lacks emotional connection but is technically very good.
Two people dressed in firefighting gear and helmets with visors, looking into the camera. In the background, a mountainous landscape
Honorable mention - "Fire squad" – Adam Andersson, Able seaman, IB Atle - A beautiful image with very graphical elements. The colors are repeated in the safety vests and visors. The red helmets contrast strongly with their circular shape. The fact that we cannot see the faces of the subjects, despite them obviously looking straight into the camera, creates a sense of mystery. The environment looks somewhat space-like and gives a sci-fi feeling as if they are about to explore a new planet.
A seagull sits in the light of a lantern, in the background a ship emerges from the sea smoke
Honorable mention - "Seagull in sea smoke" – Krzysztof Mlodzianowski, Chief mate, Nautilus - The jury's motivation: There is drama in this image, and at a quick glance, it almost looks like a painting. The ship emerging from the fog and the bird provide symbolic value with David Lynch vibes. The light from the lantern on the bird's chest creates a crucial splash of color, and the seagull seems to trick us into thinking it is a bullfinch, which is comical. If the photographer had leaned a bit to the right, the three objects would have been more clearly separated, and the composition would have been better. Even though there is a diagonal line running through the image, the foreground adds nothing. A cozy and funny image that would have needed a slightly different composition to make it to the podium.
A frosty ship in the fog appears to be stuck in the ice
”Kumpula” – Adam Andersson, Able seaman, IB Atle -
A ship's bow appears to almost hang over the harbor street in a village, a sailor looks into an Irish village, and villagers look back
”Touching a town” – Jörgen Språng, Cook, Bitflower
A person is sitting in a dark space, holding his head
"Anxiety" – Adam Andersson, Able seaman, IB Atle
A ship is sailing through the Corinth Canal, which looks narrow
”Corinth Canal” – Måns Larsson, Master, Pleijel
A helicopter is hovering over a ship deck
”OVR” – Adam Andersson, Able seaman, IB Atle
A sailor stands aboard his ship, dressed in overalls and holding an electric cable, with nuclear power plants visible in the background
”Power” – Adam Andersson, Able seaman, IB Atle
A sailor in overalls, ready to jot something down in the engine room, scratching his chin
”Wondering wiper” – Jörgen Språng, Cook, Bitflower

Last updated 2025-02-07

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