FIRST PLACE:

Yorke Peninsula Country Times, Rod Penna

Penna’s image of dirt-karter Gary Duff’s crash provokes an array of emotions in the viewer; shock, amazement, curiousity and awe to name a few.

This crash was a defining moment in the race, causing a massive pile-up of karts, but was also a critical moment in the life of the driver with the possibility of severe injury, permanent disablement or even death. The defining moment of the crash itself was this split second when the kart flipped upside down, exactly horizontal to the ground, crumpling the driver beneath. There is also a wonderful visual incongruity in the published cropped image as Duff’s kart seems inexplicably inverted beside his competitors. A perfectly timed capture by Penna.

SECOND PLACE:

The Mt Barker Courier, Daniel Cazzolato

This year we saw an abundance of excellent entries featuring great speckies and attempted hangers but Cazzolato’s was literally head-and-shoulders above the rest. Although not captured at the height of his leap (which must have been extraordinary) the player’s feet are still level with other players’ faces, his eyes are firmly on the ball and the focus is crisp. Great footy shot!

THIRD PLACE:

The Southern Argus, Rowan Sims

Sims captured a bone-crunching moment with his photo of two football players meeting head-on in a marking contest, featuring great action and interesting symmetry. A longer lens or a higher-resolution camera may allow for the sort of crop required by the editor, in this case, to be crisper.

JUDGES NOTE:

Thank you to those photographers who took the time to enter imagery from soccer, basketball, baseball and hockey. These sports may not yet have the same popularity in the bush as footy, netball, cricket and tennis but there are opportunities out there for great and interesting sports photographs your readers will appreciate. Keep shooting!