The judges were unanimous about the winning photo. Quite often in photo contests it goes this way, i.e. that one or a few images are immediately noticeable and go through the whole jury process.

Best photo – Winner
Bailliage of Jyväskylä, Finland
Good example of classic photography of the moment. Just like the old master Henri Cartier-Bresson did. The photographer had very good sense of the moment. Nice shadows and rhythm. The Chaîne logo is lit perfectly. The left-hand side looks like black and white whereas the right-hand side is very colourful making for a very striking contrast.

Best photo – Runner-up
Bailliage of Brisbane, Australia
Inspirational highlight emphasizing the member tasting his glass of wine. A harmonious composition with good lighting, this photo impressed with its ribbons aplenty and an overall genuine feeling of the essence of a Chaîne dinner.

Best photo – Third Place
Bailliage of Johannesburg, South Africa
The judges had some different opinions concerning the photo for Third Place. In the end, as this one shows people, we concurred so as to have people in all three “Best” photos given that World Chaîne Day was conceived for the enjoyment of the members. The gentle look in both of the parents’ eyes is so natural and the moment is delicate. Again good lighting beautifully shows the facial expressions. The subdued background well suits the atmosphere of the expression captured without it being a staged studio image.

Best Professional
Bailliage of Brisbane, Australia
Striking, yet simple, composition, the lighting makes this picture exciting. The eye is drawn to the professional at work. The Chef’s posture shows concentration as he focuses on his work crafting the next course for the customers. In the foreground in virtual monochrome, the lady wearing her ribbon combines nicely to tie the image in with the Chaîne.

Best Food
Bailliage of Venezuela
Perfect lighting and exposure are just a few of the elements which make the picture effective. Shades of brown are harmoniously balanced with red and green. The composition reveals the tiniest structures of the fish and bread, as well the delicate details of the green leaf.

Most Joyful (joint winners)
Bailliage of Istanbul, Turkey
As these two pictures both come from Turkey and same event, we thought we would make it a winning pair as both photos express the natural and genuine elation of the moment, i.e. happy people clearly enjoying their event. The red brings the two images together as a natural pair. The one of selfie being taken is appropriate given that this is part of today’s way of taking photos.

Congratulations to the winners and indeed to everyone who participated in this year’s competition. The Panel of Judges literally had thousands of photos to review. As always with such a high standard of contributions it was a very difficult decision to reach the final selection of winners.

On behalf of the Committee and Judges I say, a big thank you to you all. Keep up the snowballing enthusiasm for World Chaîne Day … and of course keep raising the bar with the quality of the photos taken during the events on the day held around the world.

The winning photographers will each receive a Diploma. These will be presented during the forthcoming International Grand Chapitre & AGM in Paris, or will be mailed if necessary.

Last but least, the Judges wished to give a special mention for the wedding photos submitted by the Bailliage of Naples in Florida, USA. Chaîne members Lacey King and Alan Goodridge chose the Bailliage’s World Chaîne Day celebration to get married. Whilst none of the many fine photos were chosen as a winner, the Judges very much wanted to acknowledge the quality of the photography which was completely in tune with the joyous event.

Ari-Pekka Parviainen
Chair, World Chaîne Day Committee & Photo Competition Panel of Judges
Member of the Conseil d’Administration