- AuthorJon Parker
- Published 11 March 2024
Behind the scenes of Red Bull Illume
Years of hard work came together for a stunning Winner Award Ceremony
Now the dust has settled from the Red Bull Illume Winner Award Ceremony in November 2023 in Sölden, Austria, and the Exhibit Tour is well underway. It’s time to look back at how we at zooom organized every facet of the world’s greatest adventure and action sports imagery contest. After a remote Winner Award Ceremony in 2021 we were determined to have a truly showstopping ceremony this edition.
Krystle Wright was crowned as the winner of the seventh edition of the contest with her shot of climber Angela VanWiemeersch illuminated in a crack, deep within Long Canyon, UT, United States. The Winner Award Ceremony was livestreamed worldwide on social channels to reach millions of contacts. Wright became the first female overall winner in the history of Red Bull Illume and the ceremony in Sölden also marked the first stop on the exhibit tour where we unveiled a breathtaking outdoor exhibit. Now the tour continues in full flow as the 50 finalist images are on display throughout 15 SES Spar European Shopping Centers across Europe with more venues to be announced soon.
Hours organizing to make everything perfect
2023 was a bold return for Red Bull Illume and we were determined to match previous Winner Award Ceremonies in scope and ‘wow’ factor. An event like this doesn’t just happen – behind the scenes there are countless hours of preparation. Our team drew up every detail. From the initial concepts for the contest which were adapted and updated to keep with trends to the final execution. Dozens of people worked non-stop for a week on the set-up of the exhibition and prepping the locations, in the wind, snow and freezing cold.
We organized the judging process with 52 judges involving looking at countless photos from well over 100 different nations. We spent hours designing and copyediting texts for the Red Bull Illume Photobook. Our digital team constantly updated the website and kept it running even during the busiest period of the submission phase. And our event team organized the venues, the workshops and the ceremony at the three-day event together with Sölden and the event partners Canon, MPB, Radiant Photo and Blue Tomato. All of this was to celebrate and shed a light on the often-unsung heroes behind the lens.
In-person contact
For the invited photographers, judges, athletes and other experts from the photography and sports industry it was brilliant for them to connect in person with their contemporaries. It was great for the community of creatives to meet in person, share knowledge and experiences. Many of them were previously connected from social media and the opportunity to meet represented a chance to build collaborations and friendships.
A resounding success
It’s always satisfying to see hard work coming to fruition. The Winner Award Ceremony was a resounding success, with a total reach of 715,892,150 contacts on social media and in global press coverage. Our comms team sent tailor-made image selections and press releases to different target groups to guarantee the best coverage possible. We also connected the photographers with media to help sharing their stories and the winning images.
Now you can catch the exhibition in a tour stop close to you or you can order the Red Bull Illume Photobook and see the photos in the way they were meant to be seen - on high-quality photo paper bound in a high-quality individually numbered and stamped hardcover book or on unique 2x2m lightboxes.
We are beyond happy to see the photographers recognized and rewarded for their hard work and mastery. Stay tuned on rebullillume.com or the social channels @redbullillume for updates, galleries and interviews with the heroes behind the lens.
Want to team up with Red Bull Illume or display the stunning images in your venue? Reach out to us and we will find a way to fulfill your brand’s needs in a world full of the best adventure and action sports imagery.
Get in touch with us today!
Elias Senoner
Felderstrasse 12
5330 Fuschl am See
Austria
Phone: +436649631166
Email: elias.senoner(at)zooom.com
