Sometimes the best way to see the world clearly is looking through another lens. Which is why, when it came time to judge this year’s photo contest, we asked Micheli Oliver for a fresh perspective. A native of rural Colorado, Oliver is a filmmaker, photographer, and journalist who’s collaborated with brands including Fujifilm, Patagonia, Protect Our Winters, and the Wilderness Society. Above all else, however, she brought an eye uniquely suited to judging the more than 200 submissions we received.
People / Portraits
Winner
Title: Time Off
Location: Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Judge’s comment: As a photographer, this is the kind of image I dream of creating. The frame, the bike, and the women in the top left are beautiful. The image creates an intensely beautiful memento to the art of humanness.
Honorable Mention
Title: Chucky Atop the Rollers
Location: Dane, Wisconsin, USBRS 30
Judge’s comment: I love the humanity and the duality in this image. It seems to say, ‘There are two different ways to be human. Neither is right or wrong, just two different paths to take.’ It is also well edited and has wonderful coloring.
Around Camp
Winner
Title: Night In An Empty Police Station
Location: La Presa, Nayarit, Mexico
Judge’s comment: This image has an eye-catching frame and struck a chord of curiosity and wonder.
Honorable Mention
Title: Setting Up Camp Near Lake Tennyson
Location: Lake Tennyson, New Zealand
Judge’s comment: This landscape image made me not only want to be in this valley, but it also made me wonder where the two cyclists are going on this adventure. It serves as an invitation. The colors are stunning, and the subject and story are clear.
First Bike Adventure
Winner
Title: Doesn’t Get More American Than This
Location: Hunt’s Mesa, Kayenta, Arizona
Judge’s comment: This photo is special because it’s a chance image of something that is at once distinct and incredibly representative of biking in the desert: horses, deep sand, and a reddish, green-tinged world all around. It was well edited and framed, and it is a moment in time well captured.
Honorable Mention
Title: A First Rodeo
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Judge’s comment: This photo feels like joy. It is a moment frozen in time, and although no bikes are featured it makes you ask, ‘How and why are these two laughing this way?
Cover Shot
Winner
Title: Snake Shot
Location: New River Trail State Park, Virginia
Judge’s comment: This image is incredibly unique. I’ve never seen anything like it and immediately wanted to know how the photographer got the shot. This image was clever, difficult, and well composed.
Honorable Mention
Title: Sunset on Hohokam Road
Location: Hohokam Road, Arizona
Judge’s comment: Well-edited, framed, and brought to life. A classically beautiful image that makes you want to bike.
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