El International Wine Photography Competition 'Rioja and the 5 Senses' It has once again placed La Rioja on the cultural and photographic map, confirming its status as a key event for those who view the world of wine through the lens. The latest edition has brought together hundreds of images that explore wine from very different angles, from classic harvest scenes to more conceptual and creative approaches.
In this edition, the competition has achieved a notable international participation with 240 authors from 20 countrieswho submitted a total of 672 photographs. Among them all, one image has stood out and become the star of the edition: 'The Lady', a still life full of symbolism in which a bottle of wine is transformed into a female silhouette wrapped in a red cape.
'La Dama', a creative vision of wine that tops the awards list
The first prize of the competition has been awarded to 'The Lady', by the Malaga-born photographer Araceli AvilésThe artwork depicts a wine bottle with human proportions, adorned in a flowing red dress, almost as if it had stepped off a fashion runway. This aesthetically striking piece convinced the jury and won the main prize, amounting to 1.600 Euros.
Avilés defines himself as amateur photographer who has found her voice in still lifeAfter a start more closely linked to street photography in groups in Malaga, he explained that what attracts him most is the process of imagining and constructing scenes with everyday objects until he gives them a new meaning, something that in 'La Dama' is transferred to the world of wine through a very careful staging.
The author has worked on this image with a Canon 250D, a mid-range camera She feels comfortable with this approach, emphasizing that what matters most in photography is not so much the equipment as the eye and the ability to compose. Her victory in such a well-established competition represents significant recognition and a boost to continue developing her creative side.
The winning piece is part of a collection of works that reinterpret wine from different perspectives. showing how wine culture can become a powerful engine of artistic inspiration and on a bridge between tradition, gastronomy and contemporary visual creation.
Full list of winners: main prizes, #productoriojano award and runner-up
In addition to the first prize, the jury recognized other outstanding proposals. second prize, worth 900 euros, it has been for 'Dialogue between Vines', by the Jerez-born photographer Francisco Javier DomÃnguez, a work that, as has been explained, captures the silent communication between the vines and the landscape that surrounds them.
El third prize, valued at 600 eurosIt has fallen to the Italian Michele Macinai For his job 'Tuscan Golden Sunrise 19'An image set in Tuscany that combines golden light, vineyards and a rural atmosphere, reinforcing the international character of the event and its ability to attract attention from different European territories.
One of the defining characteristics of this event is the Special Award #RiojaProductwhich seeks photographs where wine shares the spotlight with the agricultural products of La Rioja and its cuisine. In this edition, this award, also endowed with 600 euros after the recent increase in the amount, it has been for 'Pears in red wine', from Logroño Ramiro Sáenz, a piece in which local gastronomy visually merges with wine as the central element.
The jury has completed the honor roll with two runner-up prizes of 200 euros eachOne of them has recognized the work 'Solitary glass of wine', Anthony Vigo, from Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona), while the other has been for 'DiscoWine', from Aranda Paco SantamariaThis latest proposal, of a more personal and creative nature, has allowed the photographer from Aranda de Duero to once again place the name of his town on an international stage linked to wine.
The list of award winners highlights the diversity of styles, origins and approaches that coexist in the competition, where both classic readings of wine and more daring or experimental interpretations are welcome, always with the wine world as a common axis.
International participation and the importance of Spanish photography
In overall numbers, the competition has received 672 works created by 240 photographers de 20 countriesThis confirms the competition's evolution into a well-established event beyond Spain's borders. The images capture scenes of the grape harvest, wineries, vineyard landscapes, still lifes, moments of consumption, and portraits of people connected to wine, among other subjects.
Spanish participation has clearly been in the majority, with 189 authors from different autonomous communitiesLa Rioja leads the list with 53 participants, followed by Catalonia (34), the Basque Country (31), and Andalusia (15). Photographers from Madrid (11), the Valencian Community (9), Castile-La Mancha (9), the Canary Islands (5), the Region of Murcia (4), Navarre (4), Castile and León (3), Aragon (3), Asturias (2), Galicia (2), the Balearic Islands (1), and Cantabria (1) also contributed, demonstrating a fairly widespread presence throughout the country.
Internationally, the competition has included the participation of 9 authors from ArgentinaIn addition to representatives from Italy (7), Slovenia (5), Iran (4), Austria (3), Brazil (3), Lithuania (3) and France (3), submissions were also received from Germany (2), Hungary (2) and Portugal (2), as well as from Belgium, Chile, Croatia, Mexico, Morocco, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, with one representative in each case.
This map of origins reinforces the character open and pluralistic, this event, although born in La Rioja, has become a meeting place for perspectives from Europe and America.as well as other countries with a tradition or growing interest in wine and its visual representation.
The high volume of submissions and the variety of geographical origins have led the organizers to emphasize that the artistic level of this edition has been especially high, hence the decision to reinforce the financial endowment of some prizes, such as the third prize and the #productoriojano itself, which have increased from 500 to 600 euros to better recognize the creative effort of the participants (How to make money with your photographs).
A competition open to all perspectives on wine
The competition is characterized by being accessible to both amateur and professional photographersThere is no age limit or nationality restrictions. The only essential condition is that the works maintain a substantial relationship with the world of wine or its environment, whether from traditional perspectives or through more experimental approaches.
Each participant may submit up to three photographs of any techniqueThis allows for everything from black and white works to more complex digital compositions, as long as the final result is consistent with the wine theme. Acceptable subjects include the grape harvest, winemaking, wineries, people, still lifes, landscapes, and scenes of consumption, as well as any approach that engages with the history and culture of wine.
This broad approach makes it easier for the call to function as a a visual laboratory where documentary records, conceptual proposals, and formal experiments coexistThe blend of visions makes each edition offer a kind of contemporary mosaic of wine culture, where tradition, innovation and personal creativity intersect.
The organization of the competition is the responsibility of Government of La Rioja, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development and Environment, in collaboration with the Caja Rioja Foundation and Photographic Association of La RiojaThese entities emphasize that the goal is not only to award prizes for images, but also to strengthen the link between wine and cultural creation.
Institutional leaders such as the Director General of Rural Development, David MartÃn, or the manager of the Caja Rioja Foundation, Carlos Fuentes, have emphasized that these types of initiatives They contribute to promoting the Rioja brand from a cultural perspective.bringing wine closer to new audiences and creating meeting spaces between the wine sector and the artistic field.
Exhibition in Logroño and tour of various municipalities in La Rioja
The award-winning works, along with a selection of participating photographs, can be visited at the exhibition opened at the Caja Rioja Foundation Center La Mercedin Logroño. This exhibition is open in the afternoon, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and will remain available until [date missing]. February 28, except Sundays and public holidays, which provides ample time for the public to come and view the selected works.
The exhibition is part of a traveling exhibition that will visit the various centers of the Caja Rioja Foundation Throughout the year. After its stop in Logroño, it is scheduled to visit Arnedo, Calahorra, Haro and Santo Domingo de la Calzada, on dates that will be arranged sequentially to ensure that the main towns of the region have access to this cultural offering linked to wine.
Furthermore, Fundación Caja Rioja intends to incorporate the exhibition into 'Learning', a program for cultural development in rural areasso that the images don't just stay in the main cities and can also reach smaller towns interested in this type of activity.
The organizers point out that, despite the numerous editions held, the exhibition It continues to surprise with its variety of approaches and for the way the authors reinterpret wine year after year. Visitors can find everything from scenes of everyday life to photographs with a more minimalist or abstract aesthetic, all united by the common thread of wine.
In practice, the itinerant nature of the competition turns it into a long-term cultural projectwhich is not limited to the moment of the jury's decision, but extends over time through the different venues, generating a constant flow of visitors and reinforcing the relationship between wine, territory and visual culture.
With the victory of 'La Dama' and a list of winners that combines names from different origins, this new edition of the International Wine Photography Competition 'Rioja and the 5 Senses' reaffirms its role as showcase of creativity about wineconsolidating La Rioja as a meeting point where art, landscape, gastronomy and winemaking tradition intersect under the watchful eye of photography.
