After touring the West Coast, Red Bull Illume — a first-of-its-kind international action and adventure sports photography exhibition — is making its East Coast debut in Atlanta.


Red Bull Illume began as a quest to find the 50 best raw moments in action and adventure sports. Photography experts from around the world served as contest judges and hand-selected 50 images from the 7,200 submissions received from photographers in over 90 countries. These astonishing images are now participating in a traveling exhibition touring extraordinary destinations around the country and world. The larger-than-life photos took Aspen, Colo., by storm, made waves in Huntington Beach, Calif., and lit up the streets of downtown Portland, Ore. They'll now dazzle crowds at a landmark of sports history — Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta.

On March 5-16, a breathtaking spectacle of 25 eight-foot glass and metal cubes will light up the park each evening from dusk until 11 p.m., revealing the most dramatic compilation of action and adventure sports imagery ever assembled. During the day, the mirrored cubes will offer reflective views of the park, built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, and its urban surroundings.


Athlete Steve Fisher, whose African kayaking adventure is featured in the exhibition, is pleased to share the spotlight with action sports photographers. “Red Bull Illume is the first-ever photo contest to exclusively honor the men and women behind the camera in the outdoor and adventure sports world,” he said. “For the first time these talented photographers are put on a pedestal and are getting the credit they deserve. It's like the Oscars of the outdoor sports world!”


The judging panel was made up of tough critics — photo editors and photo journalists from photography, action sports and lifestyle magazines from around the world. These judges reviewed the thousands of entries to select the winning images — including five finalist images in 10 image categories — with an eye toward celebrating and honoring the men and women behind the lens who braved the planet's harshest terrain in order to capture athletic grit and triumph.


“Red Bull Illume is unique because we have never had a competition like this before in this genre,” said Illume participating photographer Brian Nevins. “We've watched rock 'n' roll, fashion and other types of photography grow and get recognition for the years of hard work dedicated to it. This is the first time we can feel special about what we do and it's been an honor to be a part of it.”


Red Bull Illume spotlights the top international photographers who have triumphed in the eyes of experts for their art, spirit, grit and edgy perfection, and the exhibition is a tribute to their creativity and raw skill. The top 10 category winners include:



  Categories        Category Winners


  Lifestyle         Desré Pickers – South Africa
  Sequence          David Blažek – Czech Republic
  Close-Up          Dawn Kish – Flagstaff, Ariz.
  Energy            Thomas Stöckli – Switzerland
  Spirit            Brian Bielmann – Haleiwa, Hawaii
  Playground        Wojtek Antonow – Poland
  Wings             Fred Mortagne – France
  New Creativity    Jimmy Wilson – Melbourne Beach, Fla.
  Experimental      Tim McKenna – Australia
  Illumination      Gian Paul Lozza – Switzerland



Fred Mortagne of France achieved the honor of Illume Image of the Year for his stylized skateboarding image that has a composition beyond expression and wowed judges.

Atlanta visitors will also get the chance to honor their favorite Red Bull Illume images by voting for the People's Choice Award. The voting began at the first Red Bull Illume tour stop in Aspen in Winter 2007, and it has continued throughout the tour. People are encouraged to cast a vote for their favorite action and adventure sports image at the voting kiosks at the exhibition, online at www.redbullillume.com, or by text message.


Following the exhibition in Atlanta, the exhibit will travel to more select cities in the United States before heading overseas in 2009.