'Breathtaking' photo of falling climber wins Red Bull Illume Image Quest

7 December 2021

A 'breathtaking' image of a climber falling from a rock tower in Indian Creek, UT, USA, has won the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2021.

US photographer Will Saunders was announced as the overall winner, with his shot of climber Jake Talley striking a pose as he took a lead fall voted by a panel of 53 judges from around the world.

Saunders was overwhelmed when he received the award: "I’m just super grateful, I never thought I would be here. But it really is a team effort, it takes so much more than an individual."

Saunders’s winning shot shows Jake Talley mid fall while climbing.

“I've shot many whippers, but this time I wanted to try something a little different," Saunders said. "A group of us rallied out to my favorite place in the desert to get some climbing in and make some imagery along the way. I asked Jake to really shape his body into more of a powerful movement rather than the classic falling position. With grace and style, Jake pulled this shape out of the air, allowing me to capture an image that is unique compared to most of the literal climbing imagery we see.

His body reminded me of a superhero, which is fitting to me because most of my friends in this action sports world are my heroes. The ticket here was to just push the conceptual idea enough while also grounding the image in reality.”

Saunders wins a selection of prizes worth €50,000 including a Lenovo laptop, a Leica SL2 camera with three lenses, gear from SanDisk Professional, and other prizes from Black Diamond and COOPH.

Ulrich Grill, founder of Red Bull Illume, said: “I offer my sincere congratulations to Will for his outstanding image. It’s a great shot and a worthy winner to take the Red Bull Illume crown, joining many other iconic shots that have won in the past. This year we saw an unbelievable display of talent from adventure and action sports photographers from around the world – 41,447 images were submitted."

You can see all the individual category winners below.

WINNER of Creative by Skylum: Jan Kasl (Czech Republic). Fanda Šesták performs a trick around unique architecture in Prague, Czech Republic. Image: Jan Kasl / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of Best of Instagram by Lenovo - Photo: Yhabril (Spain). Jaime Rico & Javi Diaz' perfectly synchronized jump and handplant, Pico Malacara, Spain. Image: Yhabril / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of Emerging by Black Diamond: Victoria Kohner-Flanagan (United States). Climber, Jack Nugent, takes a fearless no hands rest during his ascent of 'Queen of Heartbreaks' in Pine Creek Canyon, Bishop, CA. Image: Kohner-Flanagan / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of Energy by Red Bull Photography: Rod Hill (New Zealand). Canoe Slalom athlete River Mutton at Huka Falls, Taupo, New Zealand. Image: Rod Hill / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of RAW by Leica: Bruno Long (Canada). Local rider, Dylan Siggers, speeds through a forest trail in Fernie, BC, Canada. Image: Bruno Long / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of Playground by WhiteWall: Markus Berger (Austria). Dominik Hernler wake boards deep inside the Hintertux Glacier, Austria. Image: Markus Berger / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of Innovation by EyeEm: Thomas Monsorno (Italy). Mammut Pro Team athlete Dani Arnold scales above the deepest lake on earth, Lake Baikal, Siberia. Image: Thomas Monsorno / Red Bull Illume

WINNER of Lifestyle by COOPH: Carolin Unrath (Germany). Andreas Müllner on his way to the Eisbach river, Munich, Germany. Image: Carolin Unrath / Red Bull Illume

With the contest officially over, Red Bull Illume now hits the road as a unique global exhibit tour displaying the images on 2x2m lightboxes, kicking off with a stop in Aspen Snowmass until January 2, 2022. It will then tour the world with planned stops across Europe.

You can see more finalists at redbullillume.com.