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The competition is now closed. Details of the overall winner will be announced in due course. Watch this space!
Moment of the Month – October 2020
The final installment of this year's Slow Moments competition didn't disappoint – once again, we received many excellent entries from you, from a beautiful Oxfordshire bluebell wood to the interior of a carver's workshop in Guatemala – we particularly liked this one as we felt it was just the kind of authentic local space you would discover on an Inntravel Slow Holiday.
It's never easy choosing a winner, but we can now reveal which entry our judges have settled upon as 'Moment of the Month' for October 2020...
The winner & other highly-commended entries
WINNER: Caroline Reddel, 'A hobbit's butterfly'
Finding beauty in the smallest of creatures
RUNNER-UP: Annette Marsh, 'Black is beautiful'
The black beach at Reynisfjara. Spectacular scenery, and you have the beach to yourselves when you walk away from the caves. That's if you don't mind the chance of a heavy downpour.
RUNNER-UP: Megan Ocean, 'The calm before the storm'
Just sitting watching the waves roar in is mesmerising and ironically peaceful. The gulls are at ease beside the waves and bask in the sunshine.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Rebecca Heminway, 'Behind the mask in Chichi'
Inside a carver's work space making Guatemalan ceremonial masks. These will be used for the 'Baile del Torito', or Dance of the Bull, loosely depicting the invasion of Mayan lands by the Spanish.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Tom Lewicki, 'The smiling sheep'
We were hiking outside of Autoire in the Dordogne Valley when this little face appeared.
HIGHLY COMMENDED: Wendy Reed, 'Alone with the bluebells'
Moments don’t get much more perfect than having a beautiful bluebell wood to yourself as the sun goes down.
Saw these two fishing off the Rod and Reel Pier on laid back Anna Maria Island - and thought it was just a perfect image of shared experience between man and bird. Sheer joy!
What the judges said...
"The longer we considered Caroline Reddel's entry, 'A hobbit's butterfly', the more we grew to love it – we love the exquisite detail of the butterfly itself, resting delicately on the flower petals; we love the bright, vibrant colours – the perfect antidote to the grey winter skies here in the UK; and we love the composition of the image, how the soft focus of the background throws the butterfly and its perch into stark relief. If a Slow Moment is about finding delight in the smallest details, then 'A hobbit's butterfly' is a very worthy winning 'Moment of the Month' for October. Many congratulations, Caroline.
Taking the first runners-up place is the fabulous 'Black is beautiful' by Annette Marsh. We sometimes struggle to see what makes a landscape shot a Slow Moment, but we found Annette's entry particularly captivating. There is so much going on here – not only a striking contrast in colour and light but of motion, too: the shifting clouds; restless waves; and footsteps leading across the black sands. If you look closely, you can even see the tiny figures who the footsteps belong to, at the base of the cliffs.
We were also all in agreement that Megan Ocean's 'The calm before the storm' should be our second runner-up. Here, our eyes were drawn to the sharp, clear detail of the gulls and the glistening sands, while the foaming waves and hazy mountains retreated into the background."
Take a look at our previous winners and runners-up
SEPTEMBER WINNER: Rose Howie, 'Reflect'
The Solway coast which splits England and Scotland caught at a magical time of day.
SEPTEMBER RUNNER-UP: Wendy Reed, 'The river wakes up'
On a magical morning by the Thames at Little Wittenham, the tranquillity was only punctuated by a single flight of honking geese.
SEPTEMBER RUNNER-UP: Val Hopfinger, 'A moment's stillness'
A swallowtail's pause for nectar
AUGUST WINNER: Allan Harris, 'Having a chat in a rehearsal break'
These two amateur actors were having a break during rehearsals for the York 2012 Mystery Plays production. I don't know what scandal they were discussing.
AUGUST RUNNER UP: Anne Brown, 'What's round the corner?'
A good holiday is planned, but you never know what is round the corner!
AUGUST RUNNER UP: Asia Goldie, 'Through the bubble'
On a busy day in Edinburgh, a man was blowing bubbles as if he hated his job. Yet as they caught the sun they glistened, and children ran through them laughing. For a brief moment I joined in, too.
JULY WINNER: Fiona Parr, 'All aboard'
The steam train has just left the station and all that’s left behind is the smell of the smoke. A silence descends until the next one rolls in amidst a fresh plume of smoke.
JULY RUNNER-UP: Wendy Reed, 'My bench'
In a quiet square in Venice, I was amused to see a cat stretched out enjoying the sun, sharing a bench with a seemingly unrelated couple.
JULY RUNNER-UP: Isabel Galsworthy, 'Sunset at the peaks'
We witnessed this at the end of 2019. It's a winter's sunset over the peaks of Stanage Edge. My father and I watched it go down, taking the time to appreciate the beauty of our last moment in nature.
JUNE WINNER: Louise Waldron, 'Reflections of Lucca'
Beautiful buildings surrounding the Piazza Anfiteatro reflecting their warm yellow hue in the rain puddles on the ground. Always remember to look down as well as up!
JUNE RUNNER-UP: Karan Tuxford, 'Magic Morning'
It had snowed the night before and we really couldn't wait to start our walk but then, we saw this peaceful and perfect scene. The seat invites you to sit and hold on to this moment forever.
JUNE RUNNER-UP: Steve Lee, 'Better Tomorrow'
Sometimes, after a day thrashing you, the weather says “sorry” at sunset.