Some other comments about this photo were:
Magnificent view from above the clouds including Mawenzi peak, 5149 m. Emotional thriller! (Basia W) How fantastic is to be over the cloud. (Ania M.) Pokazuje ludzi, którzy osiągnęli mistyczne miejsce (…). Już wyżej nic nie ma do osiągnięcia i chmury nawet się im kłaniają. (Janusz)
The Grand Prix prize happened to be a bottle of Grey Goose vodka, which Mike was somewhat terrified to get. Don't worry, Mike - you don't have to drink it all alone!
The first prize in category:
A – „Ludzie i góry” – Andrew Kubicki Award – “People and the mountains”
was taken by "Connection"
- the picture of Grace Borun.
Grace received two bottles, only one being of real interest, and big print out of her photo. Great thanks to Michal for printing all the winning photos in large format.
Category:
B – „Górskie krajobrazy” – Roman Lipiecki Award – “Mountain landscapes”
was taken this year by Ania Kulig and her work "The beauty of Yukon":
Ania unfortunately couldn't attend the ceremony - being in the mountains, but of course - but the prize for her was secured by Yanek.
Also, from Category B came the picture "The Snows of Kilimanjaro":
that was the subject of the award in Category:
K – „Najlepszy komentarz” – Ania Kupnicka Award – “Best comment”
The comment read:
"Fragile Beauty. Legendary snow of Africa
might become true legend very soon. It looks solid and strong, but it is so
fragile. It might disappear as soon as 2030. It is melting faster than ever!
More than 80% of Kilimanjaro snow has already disappeared. Behind the glacier
majestic peak of Mount Meru, 4566m, covered in clouds." (Basia Walter)
In the absence of Ania - this time to Mexico - the winner, Basia Walter, received the award from Mike:
The next category:
C – „Humor górski” – Michał
Trzecieski Award – “Mountain humor”
was taken by Jacek Maciaszczyk's dyptych "Woman and the world":
Some of the comments to this work read:
"In my opinion, very skillful use of the element of rock and a great model that created something that is not only humorous but also, allegorically, seems to reflect woman’s role in the world. She is the force that not only moves the world forward, causing it to progress, but also keeps the world (of men?) on her shoulders, preventing it from falling. Great work!" (Piotr) "Yes, I agree with you about the role of women in
the world. Makes
one wonder if Atlas was a man?" (Ania M)
Jacek received the award straight from the hands of its founder, Mike.
A reinstated category:
E –
„Górskie archiwalia” – Yanek Wójcik Award – “Mountain
archives”
was claimed by Roman Lipiecki and his picture from 2009 entitled: "Mesmerized by Assiniboine in early morning light":
One of the comments said:
"I admit having a soft spot for this photo. Unlike many other photos portraying a group of people staring into the camera, this one, if looked closely at, reveals many interesting undertones. All three models appear to be in worlds of their own, and yet, there is some connection between them – they all seem mesmerized. Mesmerized by the beauty of Assiniboine and its surroundings, but also by the early morning light, giving the photo a bit of a mystical glow. In other words, this photo suggests that being in the mountains ... changes us!" (Piotr)
Roman was happy not only to receive a bottle of something but also a printed booklet including all the photos from the competition - very original award by Yanek Wojcik!
Category F:
F – „Górski selfik” – Ela Tomczyk Award – “Mountain Selfie”
was taken by Grace Borun for her selfie entitled "Grace-ful over Abraham Lake":
In the absence of Elzbieta (this darn Mexico again) the award was handed over by Ela's husband, Bogdan:
G – „(Piękna) Kobieta na tle gór” – Marek Kucmierz Award – “(Pretty) Woman in the mountains”
the award went to Ania Kulig for being in the photo entitled "A wild flower":
Some of the comments were:
"It seems that the model blossoms in this picture out of the wildflowers, drawing from them her beauty, health and strength." (Piotr) Aż chce się tam być, taki aromat dzikich kwiatów czuję. (...) Chce tam być, podajcie gdzie to jest. (Janusz)
As was mentioned Ania couldn't attend the ceremony but her award was secured by Jola. Marek also couldn't attend but sent his award through Mike. Great thanks, Marek!
The next "Oscar category":
H – “(Sexy) Mężczyzna na tle gór” – Bożena Maciaszczyk Award – “(Sexy) Man in the mountains”
was claimed by Mike Trzecieski for being in the photo "The Lion of Kilimanjaro."
Some of the comments were:
"The model is obviously on a high altitude, adventurous, manly, with sexy bandana, irresistible smile, and sexy pose – what else a woman could want from a man?" (Piotr) "Unstoppable Mike!" (Ania M.)
Sexy Mike received his award from the pretty hands of Bo. One could say that "it was Mike's night," if it was not for the fact that he lost his mother recently. Our condolences, Mike! We all love you!
The next category:
I – „Pomniki przyrody” – Barbara Walter Award – “Monuments of nature” (formerly “Mountain flora and fauna”)
was claimed by the founder of the award, Basia, for her picture: "I worked hard last night for my master":
Some of the comments to this great photo were:
"I like not only the originality of this photo – exotic animals are not shown too often in our contest – but the fantastically relaxed pose of the lioness. I almost feel like I could lie down next to her and warm myself against her body. Very appealing!" (Piotr) "Bardzo przypomina mnie. Szczególnie po posiłku, jeszcze piwo podajcie. (...). (Janusz) NIGHT SHIFT IS FINALLY OVER (Andy K.)
Somewhat hesitantly Basia accepted her own award.
This was followed by an intermission during which Janusz entertained the attendees with a series of humorous sketches.
This was all unplanned and spontaneous. The public ...
... was laughing their heads off!
Then we moved to film categories of the competition. Spoiler alert - all the awards were claimed by Andy Rutkowski!
In category:
L – „Wideo z przekrętem” – Beata and Andrzej Jędrych Award – “Video with a twist”
the first place was taken by Andy's film "O Maryjanno!":
It shows both Polish and Bosnian contingents singing the same song, albeit with a bit different words. If it was not for our going together to Shunda Creek, we wouldn't discover that this song is, in fact, international. Click on the picture above to hear it.
The award was handed over by Andrzej, to the great disappointment of some of us who would prefer to see that it was made by Beata! :-)
In category:
N – „Film pełnometrażowy” – Boris Bokov Award – “Full Movie Feature”
the most popular was Andy's picture: "Fearless seniors on via ferrata."
This film can also be previewed by clicking on the image above.
When accepting award from Boris Bokov Andy almost started waltzing with him. However, he pointed out that part of the credit for the film goes to Krzysiek Flis who authored the drone footage.
Finally Andy won in his own, newly established category:
R – „Reels” – Andy Rutkowski Award – “Reels (Shorts)”
with his film "Banff in November."
This film can also be seen by clicking on the image above, while more reels, including "Wet t-shirt contest," can be found on the main page of the blog: pmdkwe.blogspot.com
To encourage more competition in this category, Andy decided to reward the runner-ups - Mike and Urmila (this darn Mexico):
This concluded the formal part of the evening. Again, great thanks to Polish Heritage Society of Edmonton and Polish Culture Societies. We look forward to enjoy your sponsorship during the next edition of the Photo-Contest.
Great thanks to Basia and Dusia for decorating the room. And great thanks to all of you who came and enjoyed the evening:
Go to the mountains with us! Take pictures, films and reels! We hope to see you all during the next awards ceremony.
Thank you so much , Piotr, for the great award presentation and for organizing and MC-ing this event.
OdpowiedzUsuńAlso, great thanks to our sponsors from the Heritage and Culture Societies.
What a wonderful event!