Congratulations to the winners and indeed to everyone who participated in this year's competition!

The Judging Panel reviewed thousands of photos - even more than in 2018. The high standard of contributions made it really hard to choose the winners.

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.

Unfortunately some social media sites changed their policy regarding an interface with third parties. Whilst we had no alternative but to accept this, for World Chaîne Day this meant that the hashtags no longer comprehensively collected all the incoming material. Therefore we were not able to see everything and as a result the selection of winners is based on material we had available. I sincerely apologise for this. It was something entirely outside of our control. For next year we shall need to rethink the principles.

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

Ari-Pekka Parviainen
Chair, World Chaîne Day Committee
Member of the Conseil d’Administration

PANEL OF JUDGES
Ari-Pekka Parviainen (Chair)
Ruma Singh, Chargée de Presse, India
Tomaz Dular, Grand Officier, Slovenia

[NB. Large format versions of the winning photos are viewable in the Gallery]

BEST PHOTO - Winner: Bailliage of Israel (plus event group)
Lovely, happy and warm picture showing simple food and friendship. Warm eyes of the young boy and a little shy body language, still willing to serve fresh fruits to the guests. Colourful background nicely enhances the boy in grey in the foreground. Excellent picture in the context of the event - sand, camels et al. An expression of photography at its best.

BEST PHOTO - First runner-up: Bailliage of India
Picture shows bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship. Good, balanced colours and atmospheric relaxed moment.

BEST PHOTO - Second runner-up: Bailliage of Shenzhen, China
Very relaxed night feeling by the sea. Ribbons have been taken off and you can see them on the sand. Nice waves and beautiful sand, stunning sky with the lights of the city. All the people in a good mood and enjoying the moment.

BEST FOOD - Winner: Bailliage of Perak, Malaysia
Simple is effective. Very good composition. Contours of the white spoon skilfully lit. Deep green and bright orange make a very effective contrast. Harmonious, calm image.

BEST FOOD - First runner-up: Bailliage of Shanghai, China
Innovative perspective and harmonious colour palette. Multiplying in photography always makes for an effective result. Nice reflections through carafes cleverly observed by the photographer.

BEST FOOD - Second runner-up: Bailliage of Belgium
Delicious looking fish plate, which is well composed. Colours match well with Chaîne colours. Again nice lighting, which enhances contours of the different fish.

BEST PROFESSIONAL - Winner: Bailliage of India
Model-looking chef concentrating on his work. Good composition leaving room for the direction of his eyes. Cleverly-reflected Chaîne logo nicely a little out of focus pointing out the principal subject: the chef wearing his ribbon.

BEST PROFESSIONAL - First runner-up: Bailliage of Shanghai, China
The long perspective is effective. Well-balanced picture showing concentration and urgency. The line of plates directs the eyes to the Supervisor strictly watching the work thus giving the picture a story and a hint of humour.

BEST PROFESSIONAL - Second runner-up: Bailliage of Trondelag, Norway
This picture brings out the core principles of what the Chaîne is about. Huge, delicious-looking steak cooked on a grill in the open air in the middle of the Norwegian mountains. Clear sky and snow on ground. The atmosphere is palpable.

MOST JOYFUL - Winner: Bailliage of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Atmosphere cannot be more genuine and warm. The look in the member’s eyes is so inviting and tempting to pick up the champagne glass he is going to fill just for you. Brilliant photo catching the moment as only a good one can.

MOST JOYFUL - First runner-up: Bailliage of Shenzhen, China
This picture shows real joy and togetherness of members. Composition probably coordinated by the photographer makes the picture look great, especially the hands pointing in several different directions. Very nice feeling on the beach. Large lettered message in front makes it clear why they are there.

MOST JOYFUL - Second runner-up: Bailliage of Istanbul, Turkey
Another fine and spontaneous moment. Ladies sitting in the waterless jacuzzi clearly enjoying each other’s company. Very relaxed and happy feeling.

BEST LOGO USE - Winner: Bailliage of India
Harmonious colours and good composition showing modern way of taking pictures. Effective focusing on the phone leaving the actual main figures out of focus. Chaîne logo can anyway be identified clearly. Fingers of the left hand look very exciting and make an interesting detail in this picture.

BEST LOGO USE - First runner-up: Bailliage of Lebanon
Spontaneous picture of vivacious lady draped in the Chaîne flag. Doorway in the stone wall makes a wonderful natural-looking frame around her.

BEST LOGO USE - Second runner-up: Bailliage of Madrid, Spain
Very well composed picture showing the Chaîne logo in sharp focus. Wine is so detailed in the image that you can fully appreciate the colour and viscosity. Shape and contours of the glass shown well. Using the out of focus composition gives a delightful three-dimensional feeling.