Jaw-Dropping Climber Portrait Wins Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2023

A woman won the grand prize for the first time in the 17-year history of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest contest, the world’s largest action sports photo competition. Australian photographer Krystle Wright wowed the more than 50 contest judges with an incredible photo of climber Angela VanWiemeersch scaling a cliff in Long Canyon, Utah.

“This is incredible. I wanted to earn my place in this industry and my work to get recognized. Red Bull Illume is the only platform that truly recognizes what we do,” says Wright.

While it is Wright’s first time winning the top prize, it is not her first brush with success in the Red Bull Illume contest. She was previously a category finalist in 2013 and made the top 25 in 2013 and 2019.

Red Bull Illume attracts entries from amateur and professional photographers from around the globe and features ten categories. Winning images range from action shots of ice climbers to kayakers to bikers in some of the world’s wildest environments. Alongside the grand prize victory, Wright also won the Innovation by MPB category.

The winning photos from each category are featured below. Of particular note, two-time overall winner Lorenz Holder once again found success in Red Bull Illume, winning the Masterpiece by Sölden category this year and making the top 25 in the Playground by Radiant Photo section.

Red Bull also notes that Jan Fassbender, who won Best Boardsports Photo by Blue Tomato, returned from a battle against brain cancer to shoot his award-winning photo.

Category Winners

More About Red Bull Illume Image Quest

The top 250 images from this year’s contest are featured in a limited edition Red Bull Illume 2023 Photobook. The book is limited to 2,500 copies and is available to preorder from COOPH for $60.

The winning photos are also featured in an online gallery.

Image credits: All images are individually credited and provided courtesy of Red Bull Illume Image Quest.