The 2019 Pinkbike Photo of the Year Winner is...

Feb 15, 2020
by Pinkbike Staff  
JB Liautard's Winning Image for 2019 Photo of the Year...


Ironic weather on the Canadian sunshine coast. The atmosphere is so special in those forests especially when the fog comes in and stays in the woods for the whole day.


We gave you the top 32 images from 2019 and after more than 319,000 votes were cast you, our readers, have voted for the winner and ultimately chosen the 2019 Photo of the Year presented by Jenson USA. The winner will be divvying up the $10,000 in CASH with the top four.

Check out the voting page for all the results from each bracket.

The 9th annual Pinkbike Photo of the Year Contest is a wrap and JB Liautard will be joining the ranks of Sean Lee, John Wellburn, Toby Cowley, Sterling Lorence, Christoph Laue, Steve Shannon, Robb Thompson, and Richard Baybutt in the Pinkbike Photo of the Year Hall of Fame.


How Did Photo Of The Year Work?

From thousands of nominated photos, 32 were selected to pit against each other in a college basketball bracket-like showdown. At that point it was up to you, the users, to vote on the match-ups. The photos with the most votes moved on to the next round. So 32 photos narrowed down to 16, then 8, 4, 2 until there was a single photo deemed the 2018 Photo of the Year Presented by Jenson USA.


What was at stake? $10,000 Cash

• JB Liautard will receive a check for $5,000
• Ross Bell will receive a check for $3,000
• Toby Cowley and Manuel Sulzer will each receive a check for $1,000

There were also Voter Prizes this year. We are reaching out to the five winners of the $200 Jenson USA gift cards and will update this article when they confirm. Thanks to everyone for voting!


photo


Thanks to Jenson USA.


We've reached out to JB Liautard for an interview.


photo


Posted In:
Contests and Deals Sponsored Photo Of The Year 2019 Photo Of The Year


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129 Comments
  • 607 6
 Thanks Pinkbike and everyone who voted for this contest !
It's a great honor. Congrats to all the selected photographers, especially Ross for making it this far Smile
There was some awesome images in the mix, and I guess there's also a part of luck in all that.
On another note, Hugo Frixtalon is one of the most talented rider I've been working with, so I'm happy it gives him some exposure as well !

Cheers !
  • 9 0
 Congratulations
  • 16 1
 Great photo, I liked it because I know you had to have it in your mind's eye before you made it. I'd love to know the technical details of how you did it! Thanks again for sharing it with us!
  • 9 0
 La Chill Zone will be extra chill tonight...
  • 11 0
 Congrats buddy! Nice work as usual. You're the man.
  • 3 0
 Congrats
  • 9 1
 What a year for the french scene !

Even winning the pictures contests !! Wink

Congrats mate !
  • 2 0
 congrats!!! what a killer shot!!!
  • 3 0
 Appreciate the tech quality and work that went into lighting this! Congrats
  • 2 0
 Congrats, worthy winner!
  • 4 1
 Awesome job, mate! Cheers to YOU! Spend that money as unwisely as you can.!
  • 2 0
 Amazing photo! Congratulations
  • 3 0
 SO sick! Your shot was my fave from the start. Just beautifully composed and so steezy. Congrats!
  • 2 0
 Congrats! Nice shift of focus to Hugo. I'm sure he appreciates the exposure.
  • 3 0
 Great JB and congratulations ????????????????????????????
  • 1 0
 I also liked the Nathan Hughes shot and the Steve Shannon shot, you knocked them both out. You won it knocking out the best, congratulations!
  • 2 0
 Mate - by far my favorite! Some incredible photos this year from everyone. I'd love to get hold of a print of this
  • 2 0
 @adzrees: I second this. I'd love to have it as a full canvas print!
  • 3 0
 It's great to see one of my very favorite photos in this contest to take the Grand Prize. It's great to see the idea behind it caught the attention of others. Finally, it's great to see new names in PB's POTY Hall of Fame. It's a win well deserved. Congratulations.
  • 169 0
 Yeah JB! Congrats brother! Deserving winner in my eyes, one of the most forward thinking mtb photographers out there, consistently producing images a cut above the rest with a unique style. I’m super humbled and stoked to have even been a part of it and make the cut let alone get to the final! Thanks to everyone that voted and hopefully I’ll snag something else this year that’ll be in the mix again!
  • 22 2
 Gutted for you mate, had you down for the win, amazing shot chap, congratulations for the runner up spot, but yours was way better Smile
  • 11 1
 Ye, voted for you all the way. I just thought your shot was super relatable at the same time as being a stunning composition. Great stuff!
  • 5 0
 You were my pick!! Natural environment no props. Loved it!
  • 1 0
 great shot and super cool response to the results.
  • 3 0
 Both shots were equally good, as reflected in the close voting! Preferred your Ross as it just sums up UK riding for 3/4 of the year, add in the dynamicity to make it a winner. Still, second place is not to be sniffed at!
  • 1 0
 you deserved it mate, knew you were a finalist from the start. Get 'em next year!!!
  • 98 0
 2011
www.pinkbike.com/news/Pinkbike-Photo-of-the-Year-And-the-Winner-is.html

2012
www.pinkbike.com/news/2012-Photo-of-the-Year-Winner-is.html

2013
www.pinkbike.com/news/Photo-of-the-Year-Winner-is-2013.html

2014
www.pinkbike.com/news/2014-photo-of-the-year-winner-christoph-laue.html

2015
www.pinkbike.com/news/2015-photo-of-the-year-winner-sean-lee.html

2016
www.pinkbike.com/news/2016-photo-of-the-year-winner-is.html

2017
www.pinkbike.com/news/the-2017-photo-of-the-year-winner-is.html

2018
www.pinkbike.com/news/the-2018-photo-of-the-year-winner-is.html
  • 9 0
 Thank you for this!
  • 1 0
 I'm clearly not very good at picking winners.
  • 29 0
 Thanks for posting this! I love how in the past 9 years, there was only ONE roost shot winner. Yet, every year, everyone complains how the "roost always wins."
  • 3 0
 awesome, seems like a good variety of shots in there. PB readers rewarding different style of photo every year.
  • 17 0
 I personally LOVE the 2014 shot. think it still stands out as best for me.
  • 11 4
 And photo of the decade winner is ---> 2017 maybe?
  • 3 4
 I'm really glad we've moved away from roosts and puddle slashes. Love the retrospective!
  • 4 0
 @connorjuliusjohnson: Absolutely agree, the 2014 still is my all time favorite biking shot for all it represents =D
  • 2 0
 Hiiiiiii 2012!
  • 3 0
 @kubikeman: and tbh, it is an amazing roost pic
  • 1 0
 all great photos.. 11, 14-16 are my picks.
  • 2 1
 @connorjuliusjohnson: for sure. 2014 is incredible. and 2017 is just beautiful.
  • 1 0
 Photo of the decade contest, among the nominees... ???
  • 1 0
 2017 for the win!
  • 1 0
 2017 looks like a lightroom sepia preset.
  • 45 4
 Fair winner in my opinion. Gives me a kind feeling of the ET movie. Thumps up!
  • 33 15
 Go home
  • 8 1
 Phone home
  • 2 6
flag SJP (Feb 14, 2020 at 12:01) (Below Threshold)
 Old fart.
  • 28 2
 It'd be really interesting to know if instead of this head to head elimination format, a single round 'vote for your favourite, most votes wins' competition would it result in the same winner?
  • 33 1
 I would say that's a big absolutely not
  • 4 1
 Can't say for sure as people's tastes and likes can change on a whim from day to day as they vote through this bracket format. But every other photo in the contest was out voted at some point by another photo except this one. So logic would say that this one would still stand a pretty good chance of winning.
  • 3 0
 I think a popular vote is the right way, but still have rounds where the bottom 2 drop out of each round. That way you include peoples evolving opinion on the photo, but you keep the element of chance.
  • 3 0
 If you look at the first round of voting for the photos that had the highest percentages in favour, it would have been ET in front of the moon vs the rider suspended over a canyon
  • 6 0
 @nathanbal: I like the bracket style. I think just throwing a big pool of photos out there makes it hard to evaluate. Having to look at just two photos at a time and make a choice makes it easier IMO.
  • 1 0
 @sino428: There can be negative voting with bracket style. Predict ahead what are the strongest photos to beat your favourite and vote against the competition every round
  • 1 0
 correction: the black and white was ahead in the first round
  • 6 0
 @bigtim Yes, but then how are they going to milk 5+ articles out of it?
  • 1 1
 @dlxah: "milk"? How about give us 5 articles to enjoy and more time to get excited about the photos? And yes, PB has to keep the lights on just like you and me.

I like this format, it feels more like a big annual event and "forces" me to spend more time finding cool stuff in every pic, not just one. Would not be memorable at all and would be a disservice to those talented people if it was just one article, one vote, pick one photo, done in 5 minutes, move on. Just my 2c.
  • 1 0
 The best vote system is ranking vote.
  • 19 0
 Just checked my Inbox, they must have gotten my username wrong, just like the Advent calendar!
  • 11 0
 Member since 2012? No chance Wink
  • 16 0
 Too bad no one has captured a fart in a photo.
  • 1 0
 Yep that would be photo of the century lol
  • 4 0
 No Mongoose shots? Oh that's a turd not a fart.
  • 10 0
 Not the Fappening, but these'll do.
  • 7 1
 Every year it’s the same — people get on here and criticize, second guess and talk out of their rear. The bottom line is, the people have spoken. This is who we voted for. Nothing else left to say about it than, “Cool photo, brah!” And “Congrats!”
  • 12 5
 #lorencegotrobbed

I'm not saying this isn't a great photo but Lorence's was near perfect.
  • 5 2
 your opinion that's probably not going to change the outcome.
  • 3 1
 @jaydawg69: Really? Thanks, tips!
  • 1 2
 @Powderface: yup... people voted so get over it. Doesn't affect you in any way.
  • 6 1
 as far as I know Lorence's made it until people had to choose between him and the splash, and then the majority picked the splash, how the hell is that getting robbed?
  • 8 1
 The other way to vote is to put 32 pics up for sale. The one that sells the most copies wins.
  • 6 1
 Well deserved... Such a sick shot.
  • 1 0
 Great shot. Personally not a huge fan of overtly artificial light in biking photos...assuming that is a well-placed flash and not a cloudy sun? But at least this make me question it.

Where in Sechelt is this? I rode the West Sechelt trails last fall and had a blast....great local shop called Off the Edge!
  • 2 1
 2 great photos in the final 2 for different reasons. The winning photo is so good, the lighting is just brilliant and of course so simple to time!!! The rider near perfect and the image leaves the viewer wondering where the trail goes with a small glimpse of the foreground. The only confusing bit is that the saddle kind looks backwards! Once you have seen that, you can't unsee it. All I need now is a 1Dx MkII, some great glass, some remote flashes and much more skill as a photographer!
  • 1 0
 The rider is going away from us, which makes it appear awkward to me. The bike is clearly going away from us, but the rider could appear like they are coming towards us, which is I think an unfortunate mix of the helmet graphics, seeing the back of the right arm and possibly a splodge of mud/colour on the back of his jersey being a hand.
  • 1 0
 @Braindrain: The rider in the winning pic is coming towards us! If you whack the brightness up on your screen you can clearly see the front wheel in front of the rider.
  • 1 0
 @Braindrain: I think you could be right.
I copied into photoshop Express and reset the temperature to something more realistic, increased the shadows etc whcmich have been dropped and it does look like the rider is riding into the flash with respect to the rider, but you can see the arms on the photo also which suggests coming towards us.
The rider appears strange in the edited photo too.
  • 1 0
 @DaMilkyBarKid: yep you got me, I see it now. I do have my screens unreasonably dull! Prob not the best way to comment on a photo comp but that's what they get for asking punters to judge it!
  • 1 0
 great photo, and frixtalon was on fire last year! one of the most stylish riders on the circuit and his parts in "our own way" were a regular pre ride watch for me, hyped to see more in 2020
  • 2 0
 Superb shot, deserved winner. Great composition, action, colour palette and use of light. Lots of superb photos in this contest but I'm glad this one won.
  • 5 4
 The one of the guy manual-ing through the puddle wasn't anything special. Sure it was high quality, but there is one like it in this every. Single. Year.
  • 3 0
 Where can I get a high res of this image for desktop use?
  • 2 0
 It was definitely the most Atmospheric Cascadian Black Metal of all the entries.
  • 2 0
 Ross Bell turns up to the woods with a camera other guy brings the whole studio what you going to do
  • 1 0
 How is it possible to submit a photography ? I would love to give it a try next year..
  • 1 0
 Not my favourite out of all of them but it's a fantastic shot, well deserved!
  • 2 0
 LEGEND! Great photo, congratulations!
  • 1 1
 I feel cheated that I did not win. I did not enter an image, I do not even own a camera that is not part of a phone....but, I feel so cheated.
  • 2 0
 you can still win the $200 Jensen card (Unless that was awarded already)
  • 2 0
 It's fine. It's no "bmx guy in a big tube" though
  • 1 0
 The Russians f*cked This Election all Up! how did you not see them coming pinkbike? tools.
  • 1 0
 I'm not a huge fan of this photo but I'm a huge fan of almost all the other JB's photos across 2019 so I'm glad he got it
  • 2 0
 Stoked and disappointed
  • 2 0
 Nice work!
  • 1 0
 Gotta love peoples choice contests! Congrats to the winner!!
  • 2 2
 Sick shot. Voted for the rider the the rain because it's a bit more real, but this one is awesome.
  • 2 0
 I can live with this.
  • 4 3
 #STEVESHANNONGOTROBBED

JB's is a sick shot to
Congrats Man!
  • 1 0
 Nice! Awesome image, stoked for you and the subject!
  • 1 0
 awesome shot - congrats !
  • 1 0
 hmm, I put this photo as my Screen Saver since day one. JAJAJA
  • 1 1
 That top knee needs to be tucked in. The table may be flat, but no one likes a bow-legged table.
  • 1 1
 These are some dark times we live in... you people should lighten up and have a smoke!
  • 1 0
 And the 2016 winner is....
  • 1 0
 well deserved, that photo is amazing @JbLiautard
Congrats
  • 1 0
 Photo of the Decade contest?
  • 1 1
 The prize is about 3 cent per vote. Next time please put 10 cent per vote ($30000)
  • 1 0
 ah perfect, the new desktop wallpaper i've been looking.
  • 1 0
 Worthy winner, such a good pic.
  • 1 0
 AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 Me too
  • 7 7
 DAMNIT I WANTED THE OTHER ONE
  • 1 0
 shots for the bar!
  • 1 0
 called it
  • 2 2
 Thank goodness the splash boy votes didn't come out on top.
  • 1 0
 The first vision
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