Photographs that prove that Red Bull really does give you wings!

Creative by Skylum: Denis Klero, Russia, for his visually striking image of Paul Alekhin to celebrate the change of season in Streetfire Club, Moscow, Russia.

(Image credit: Denis Klero/Red Bull Illume)

The winners of the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2019 have been announced. The contest that looks for the best action photography and videography, has named its 11 category winners, and its overall winner.

Taking home the grand title of Overall Winner this year is Ben Thouard with his mind-bending underwater image of Ace Buchan surfing in Tahiti. His winning image received an outstanding number of votes by the judging panel, which consisted of 50 outstanding photo editors and digital experts.

The Winners of adventure sports imagery contest were unveiled at a ceremony in the LUMEN Museum on top of the 2275m-high Plan de Corones in South Tyrol, Italy.

Taking home the grand title of Overall Winner this year is Ben Thouard with his incredible underwater image of surfer Ace Buchan, shot in Tahiti. His winning image was taken with a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II fitted with a 14mm lens.

Energy & Overall Winner: Ben Thouard, France, shows the power of surfing with this underwater shot of Ace Buchan kicking out from the barrel through the wave in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia. — **Energy & Overall Winner:** Ben Thouard, France, shows the power of surfing with this underwater shot of Ace Buchan kicking out from the barrel through the wave in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia. (Image credit: Red Bull Illume)

Emerging by Red Bull Photography: Jean-Baptiste Liautard, France, joins the big leagues with this mirrored shot of Jeremy Berthier at his trail in Bourgoin-Jallieu, France. — **Emerging by Red Bull Photography:** Jean-Baptiste Liautard, France, joins the big leagues with this mirrored shot of Jeremy Berthier at his trail in Bourgoin-Jallieu, France. (Image credit: Jean-Baptiste Liautard/Red Bull Illume)

RAW: Noah Wetzel, USA, for his shot of Chris Bule riding under the Total Solar Eclipse in Teton Valley, Wyoming, USA. — **RAW:** Noah Wetzel, USA, for his shot of Chris Bule riding under the Total Solar Eclipse in Teton Valley, Wyoming, USA. (Image credit: Noah Wetzel/Red Bull Illume)

Playground: Lorenz Holder, Germany, with a shot of Vladic Scholz in the surreal Ouse Valley Viaduct in the UK. — **Playground:** Lorenz Holder, Germany, with a shot of Vladic Scholz in the surreal Ouse Valley Viaduct in the UK. (Image credit: Lorenz Holder/Red Bull Illume)

Innovation by Sony: Laurence Crossman-Emms, United Kingdom, takes the imagination by storm with this image of Katy Winton BMXing through a puddle at Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, United Kingdom. — **Innovation by Sony:** Laurence Crossman-Emms, United Kingdom, takes the imagination by storm with this image of Katy Winton BMXing through a puddle at Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, United Kingdom. (Image credit: Laurence Crossman-Emms/Red Bull Illume)

Wings: Philip Platzer, Austria, captures athlete Marco Fürst flying on an unthinkable hot air balloon swing in Fromberg, Austria. — **Wings:** Philip Platzer, Austria, captures athlete Marco Fürst flying on an unthinkable hot air balloon swing in Fromberg, Austria. (Image credit: Philip Platzer/Red Bull Illume)

Masterpiece by EyeEm: Lorenz Holder, Germany, for his shot of Senad Grosic flying in the magical Game of Thrones location, The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland. — **Masterpiece by EyeEm:** Lorenz Holder, Germany, for his shot of Senad Grosic flying in the magical Game of Thrones location, The Dark Hedges, Northern Ireland. (Image credit: Lorenz Holder/Red Bull Illume)

Moving Image: Rupert Walker, Canada, for his precise shot featuring Brandon Semenuk and Ryan Howard riding down a custom built slalom line in Paso Robles.

Best of Instagram by SanDisk: Baptiste Fauchille, France, with a shot from a DJI drone showing Alex Bibollet’s shadow in the bowl of Fillinges, France. — **Best of Instagram by SanDisk**: Baptiste Fauchille, France, with a shot from a DJI drone showing Alex Bibollet’s shadow in the bowl of Fillinges, France. (Image credit: Baptiste Fauchille/Red Bull Illume)

Lifestyle: Alexander Wick, Germany, for his tribute shot of Philipp Bankosegger, Chris Rudolph and Luke Lalor taking a nap by Salathé Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, USA. — **Lifestyle:** Alexander Wick, Germany, for his tribute shot of Philipp Bankosegger, Chris Rudolph and Luke Lalor taking a nap by Salathé Wall, El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, USA. (Image credit: Alexander Wick/Red Bull Illume)

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Chris George

Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.

His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 8 Plus RED.

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