Jury FINALE 2025
Luca Chiarabini Memorial Contest FINALE 2025 Jury Memebers
Luca Chiarabini
MEMORIAL
Photo Contest
2026
Worldwide Edition
(Free participation)
JURY MEMBERS
FINALE 2025
The Jury Members of the FINALE 2025.
They take a great effort and much of their precious time to fairly evaluate all the amazing photos received.
MANY THANKS TO ALL OF THEM!
Jean-François
DELHOM
SWITZERLAND 🇨🇭
Trained in art and philosophy. Author of the famous photographic works: CANYONS PLANÈTE and ENTRE CIEL ET PIERRE
Diego L.
GONZÁLEZ
COLOMBIA 🇨🇴
CEO of Escape Colombia & Survival Consultant for Discovery Channel
Jody
MACDONALD
CANADA 🇨🇦
Award Winning Photographer & 'Most Adventurous Women' by Men’s Journal
David
MUNILLA
SPAIN 🇪🇸
Veteran Journalist, Reporter and Photographer of nature, travel and outdoor sports
Jose Humberto
M. DE PAULA
BRAZIL 🇧🇷
Cave Photographer & Professor at the University of Brasilia
Jean-François
PERNETTE
FRANCE 🇫🇷
Exploration speleologist since 1970, author & photographer
Akira
TANAKA
JAPAN 🇯🇵
Award-Winning Expedition Leader & Internationally Certified Canyoning Instructor
JURY BIOGRAPHY
JEAN-FRANÇOIS DELHOM (SWITZERLAND)
Trained in art and philosophy.
Author of the famous photographic works: CANYONS PLANÈTE and ENTRE CIEL ET PIERRE.
I have explored 22 regions across 4 continents to photograph some of the world's most beautiful canyoning sites, resulting in five books. In 2023, I released a sixth book, dedicated to subglacial speleology, titled GLACE. At the Passy Book Fair (2024), it received a Special Jury Mention at the World Mountain Image Book Award.
What I seek from humans in these magnificent settings is not feats, but sensitivity.
Website: www.photo-philo-delhom.com
MARTIN EDSTRÖM (SWEDEN)
Award-Winning National Geographic Explorer & VR Storyteller.
Photographer Martin Edström goes beyond traditional media by using immersive tools like 360-video and interactive virtual reality to tell the important stories of our planet and the issues of human impact on our environment.
From the vast caverns of Son Doong in Vietnam—the largest cave in the world—to the uncharted cave systems of Kyrgyzstan's remote Tian Shan mountains, Martin has led groundbreaking expeditions to explore and digitally preserve some of the planet’s most inaccessible underground environments. His innovative use of photogrammetry and 3D modeling enables both scientific discovery and public engagement.
Through numerous expeditions and exploration projects Martin has brought audiences inside the wild and forgotten corners of the world, working on assignment for outlets like National Geographic, New York Times and the Guardian.
Web: www.martinedstrom.com/
Instagram: @martinedstrom
Facebook: facebook.com/martinivaredstrom
DIEGO L. GONZALEZ (COLOMBIA)
CEO of Escape Colombia & Survival Consultant for Discovery Channel
Diego L. González is a renowned international instructor and consultant specializing in survival techniques, wildlife handling, and adventure tourism. His extensive field experience has led him to work as an expert consultant for multiple Discovery Channel productions, including Naked and Afraid, Dual Survival, and Marooned, providing guidance in jungle, desert, and high-risk environments.
He is the CEO of Escape Colombia, a school dedicated to survival training, bushcraft, preparedness, and extreme-environment operations. His work combines technical instruction, field research, and the implementation of safety and quality standards for adventure tourism activities.
Certified survival instructor (SIWA, CONFESUR) and member of several professional organizations, including ACOSUP, ESPELEOCOL, and FEDEC. Qualified auditor for Adventure Tourism Standards (NTS) and specialist in wildlife management.
Instagram: @escuela.escapecolombia
Facebook: facebook.com/DiegoGonzalez/
Tiktok: TikTok.com/EscapeColombia/
Email: Escapecolombiagrupo@gmail.com/
DIEGO L. GONZALEZ (COLOMBIA)
CEO of Escape Colombia & Survival Consultant for Discovery Channel.
Diego L. González is a renowned international certified instructor and consultant specializing in survival techniques, wildlife handling, and adventure tourism.
- CEO of Escape Colombia. A school dedicated to survival training, bushcraft, preparedness, and extreme-environment operations.
- Survival consultant for Discovery Channel (Naked and Afraid - Dual Survival - Marooned). Providing guidance in jungle, desert, and high-risk environments.
- Auditor and Implementer of Colombian Sectoral Technical Standards (NTS) for Adventure Tourism.
- Specialist in Wildlife Management
Member of following organizations:
- SIWA
- CONFESUR
- ACOSUP
- ESPELEOCOL
- FEDEC
Tiktok: @escapecolombia
Instagram: @escuela.escapecolombia
Facebook: facebook.com/DiegoGonzalez
Email: escapecolombiagrupo@gmail.com
CHRIS HOWES (UNITED KINGDOM)
Owner of Wild Places Publishing and Wild Places Photography.
Chris is a professional photographer and author, concentrating on caving and other outdoor sports, as well as nature and travel photography.
He has been taking cave photos for over fifty years and has written many articles and books on caves and natural history, including Images Below (a manual on cave photography), To Photograph Darkness (the history of underground photography) and The Spice of Life (biodiversity).
He is the owner of Wild Places Publishing and Wild Places Photography, both specialising in the underground, and was the editor of the UK caving magazine Descent from 1984 to 2022. He has received many awards in photography competitions over the years. He is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society (UK) and Fellow of the National Speleological Society (USA), and is experienced with assessing the impact and quality of photographs through publishing his own and others images.
RAJENDRA LAMA (NEPAL)
President Nepal Canyoning Association.
Founder of Friends Adventure Team Pvt. Ltd, an adventure company in Nepal. Currently serves as President of the Nepal Canyoning Association (NCA), as an Executive Member of the Nepal Mountaineers Association (NMA) and Executive Board Member of the Nepal Tourism Board.
He played a key role in pioneering canyoning in Nepal and organizing expeditions to explore caves and ice caves in the Himalayas.
He has received several national and international awards:
· Awarded in 2008 by the Nepal Government for saving the life of a girl in the Seti River Gorge.
· Winner of the Landscape Category in the 6th Photography Competition of WCN (WildLife Conservation Nepal) in 2010.
· Recognized during the 2015 Earthquake with the Tamang Sonam Lhosar - 2852 award, presented by the Nepal Prime Minister.
Facebook: facebook.com/rajendra.lama
Instagram: instagram.com/friendsadvteam/
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rajendra-lama
Website: friendsadventure.com
JODY MACDONALD (CANADA)
Award Winning Photographer & 'Most Adventurous Women' by Men’s Journal.
An award winning photographer, Jody MacDonald is no stranger to adventure and exploration in the last untamed corners of the planet. Having spent her formative years in Saudi Arabia before sailing around the world twice over the span of a decade on kiteboarding, sailing, surfing and paragliding expeditions, she has traveled to over 90 countries in search of the unknown. From train hopping in the Sahara to paragliding in the Himalayas at 17,000 ft she is passionate about stepping off the beaten path in pursuit of documenting issues that blend insightful storytelling, big adventure expeditions and social change inspiration in the hopes of promoting the preservation of wild places.
She has worked on prominent campaigns with companies such as Disney, HP, Ford and Leica and has had the opportunity to speak on the TEDx stage. Recently, Men’s Journal named her as “One of the 25 Most Adventurous Women in the Past 25 years.” You can see her images in many international publications such as National Geographic, Red Bull, Outside, BBC, Patagonia, Islands, and Men’s Journal among others.
Web: www.jodymacdonaldphotography.com.
Instagram: @jodymacdonaldphoto
Facebook: facebook.com/jodymacdonaldphotography
DAVID MUNILLA (SPAIN)
Veteran Journalist, Reporter and Photographer of nature, travel and outdoor sports.
He has published in all the mountain magazines in the world, being the first Spanish freelance photographer dedicated exclusively to this subject. He has countless articles and reports in national and foreign press. Author of several books on photography and mountains, he is also a photography teacher and mountain guide, facets that he combines by organizing photographic trips to mountain areas and remote places. He has been judge of several international photography competitions.
Instagram: @munillaphoto
Facebook: facebook.com/david.munillafauro
Web: https://www.davidmunilla.com
JOSE HUMBERTO M. DE PAULA (Brazil)
Cave Photographer & Professor at the University of Brasilia.
José Humberto is Professor at the University of Brasilia and a renowned cave photographer deeply involved in subterranean exploration and art of cave photography in Brazil. He's coined "The Art of Cave Photography," showcased in his book "The Subterranean World of Terra Ronca”. Beyond photography, he teaches subterranean photography through courses and workshops. An active speleologist he was president of Brasília's Speleo Group, he completed the French Cave Rescue-SSF course in 2012 and 2013, highlighting his dedication to safety. His milestone achievement was coordinating the First Cave Rescue Course Taught by Brazilian Instructors in 2015, training fellow Brazilian speleologists in rescue practices. Awards from contests, book covers, and publications establish José Humberto as a respected figure in cave photography in Brazil, celebrated for his dedication to exploring and sharing the captivating cave world.
Instagram: @josehumberto_terraronca
Facebook: facebook.com/josehumberto.depaula
JEAN-FRANÇOIS PERNETTE (FRANCE)
Exploration speleologist since 1970, author & photographer.
Head of expeditions in Papua New Guinea, Chilean Patagonia,
Larra-Pierre Saint Martin (BU 56).
Author of "The Abyss under the Jungle", "Rivers under the Stone",
"Discovering the chasms of PSM".
Rolex Laureate, National Geographic grantee, International Fellow The Explorer Club.
Instagram: @jeanfrancois.pernette
Facebook: facebook.com/passionexploration
MAURICIO RAMOS (MEXICO)
Award-Winning Documentary & Adventure Photographer.
Mauricio Ramos is a leading Mexican photographer known for his work in documentary and adventure imagery across more than three decades. He has produced over a dozen stories for National Geographic, receiving the magazine’s Best Edit award twice for top local edition coverage worldwide.
For 31 years he specialised in adventure photography with clients such as Red Bull, Nike, KTM, and Fox Racing, working alongside some of the world’s most elite athletes. He is Canon’s first Ambassador in Mexico, as well as the first Latin American international ambassador for Manfrotto and Elinchrom.
His work has earned major distinctions—including La Lente de Plata, Canadá a Voces, and the National Graphic Arts Award—and has been exhibited in Mexico, Russia, the UAE, Spain and Peru.
He has also delivered more than 60 lectures in Mexico, Peru and Brazil.
Mauricio is currently the resident photographer at Four Seasons Tamarindo, focusing on documentary projects centred on environmental conservation.
Instagram: @mauricioramosvm
Facebook: facebook.com/MauricioRamosFoto/
Web: mauricioramos.mx
ISABELLA TABACCHI (ITALY)
Internationally Awarded, Emotional Landscape Photographer.
Isabella Tabacchi is a landscape photographer based in the north of Italy. Her photography and art are the result of her need to explore the natural places and capture these landscapes from her personal point of view. Isabella always looks for new ways to see the different environments like leading lines, elements in the foreground, natural frames. By the use of luminosity masks, in the editing phase of her work, she improves the mood, the essence and the emotions captured.
Sponsored by Fujifilm and Gitzo.
Judge in the International Epson Pano Awards 2018, 2019, 2020,2021.
Web: www.isabellatabacchi.com
Instagram: @isabellandscapes
Facebook: facebook.com/isabellandscapes
AKIRA TANAKA (JAPAN)
Award-Winning Expedition Leader & Internationally Certified Canyoning Instructor.
Akira Tanaka is one of Asia’s leading figures in canyoning and vertical exploration. A CIC-certified instructor and Deputy Director of the Japan Canyoning Association, he has dedicated more than two decades to advancing the sport through instruction, exploration, and international collaboration.
Born in 1972, Tanaka studied historical geography at Kansai University, where he joined the university’s Exploration Club. During his student years, he spent a month living in the canopy of Madagascar while developing new methods for treetop research. In the early 2000s he discovered canyoning, that became his lifelong passion.
In 2017, he became the only CIC-certified international canyoning instructor in the entire Asian region. Based in a 230-year-old traditional farmhouse in Kochi, he works as a guide, canyoning instructor, and TV location specialist while continuing his exploration of some of the world’s most demanding gorges.
Tanaka received the 2023 Naomi Uemura Adventure Award, one of Japan’s highest recognitions in exploration and adventure.
Instagram: @akira.tanaka.canyoneer
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UC44p7hZ-eo6HQB7ZfHWdh5A
Web: www.akiratanaka-canyoneer.jp
PREDRAG VUČKOVIĆ (SERBIA)
Red Bull Extreme-Photographer.
Predrag Vuckovic is known by the nickname Extreme Photographer which indicates the sphere of his interest, his narrow specialty are extreme sports, aerial photography, underwater photography, expeditions, extreme conditions and action photography.
Over time, he became recognizable in the world, and became a synonym for extraordinary photographs, which transform ordinary moments into extraordinary ones, and phenomenal moments into spectacular ones. Exclusivity, the uniqueness of the moment or an unusual frame were always constants in his works. The reason for Predrag’s success lies in the combination of his lifestyle, special skills and personal abilities with huge photographic experience.
Professional photographer and official Red Bull International photographer (for 18 years), Scuba diving Instructor, founder and owner of the Extreme Canyoning company!
Instagram: @predragvuckovic
Facebook: facebook.com/PredragVuckovicExtremePhotographer
Web: www.extreme-photographer.com
KRYSTLE WRIGHT (AUSTRALIA)
Award Winning Photographer & Director.
She is a world class adventure photographer and director.
Driven by a passion to capture the most unique perspectives not yet thought of, Krystle Wright is a pioneering photographer from Australia. With a passion for telling raw physical stories through stills and film Krystle is on a continual quest to challenge herself and others mentally and physically.
Krystle has the innate understanding and ability to deliver realism in performance and captivating output under physically demanding circumstances.
Web: www.krystlewright.com
Instagram: @krystlejwright
IRENE YEE (UNITED STATES)
Rock Climbing & Adventure Photographer, @natgeoadventure contributor.
Irene is a professional west coast based rock climbing and adventure photographer. She started rock climbing out of pure joy, picked up a camera soon after, and continues that journey on her instagram @ladylockoff. Her focus is to uplift women, BIPOC, and the LGBTQIA2S+ communities; choosing to highlight those pushing their own personal limits and finding inspiration in those with passion over muscle. She is internationally published, a @natgeoadventure contributor, and works with today's largest outdoor brands and non-profits.
Instagram: @ladylockoff
Facebook: facebook.com/ladylockoff
Web: www.ladylockoff.com
WENXIN ZHANG (CHINA)
Award-Winning Pioneer of Perception and the Liminal.
Wenxin Zhang is a leading multidisciplinary artist recognised internationally for her exploration of perception, time, and liminal experience. Trained in landscape architecture in China and in fine art in the United States, she describes herself as a “terrain builder,” creating experiential worlds that map hidden or interior terrains rather than physical landscapes.
Her work—spanning photography, installation, writing, and sound—has been exhibited at major institutions including the Beijing Biennial, UCCA Edge, Photofairs Shanghai, Hyundai Motor Studio, and the Guangzhou Image Triennial, positioning her as a distinctive voice in contemporary experimental image-making.
Wenxin has held artist residencies at Muffatwerk (Munich), Woodstock Center for Photography (NY), Wassaic Project (NY) and The Thicket (US), and received significant recognition including the Magnum Foundation Atlantic Philanthropies Grant and the British Journal of Photography’s New Talent award.
Her work is known for its immersive and conceptual depth, often engaging with transitional, atmospheric, and psychologically charged environments.
Instagram: @wenxinzhang
Douban: douban.com/people/zwx8850
Web: zhangwenxin.com
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