Fan-Favorite Voting Begins Today at XGames.com; Finalist Images to be Featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Super Bowl Preview Issue and X Games Aspen Event Telecasts
X Games’ bi-annual action sports photography contest, World of X Games Presents ZOOM, revealed today its first round of six contest finalists and images. Fan voting for the inaugural competition begins today at XGames.com/Zoom, with the winner being announced during the Sunday, January 29 afternoon telecast at X Games Aspen, live on ESPN.
The winner will receive an X Games gold medal and prize purse of $10,000. Additionally, all six finalist photos (pictured below) will be featured in ESPN The Magazine’s Super Bowl Preview issue (on stands January 27), and exhibited onsite and in event telecasts at X Games Aspen 2017.
Images clockwise from top left:
- Snowboarder Deniz Cinek at Oberalp Pass, Switzerland; Photograph by Dominic Zimmerman
- BMX rider Brandon Perez in Readington, New Jersey; Photograph by Chris Marshall
- Skier Chris Benchetler in Whistler, British Columbia; Photograph by Erin Hogue
- Surfer Mikey Brennan at Shipstern Bluff, Australia; Photograph by Ed Sloane
- Snowboarder Jake Blauvelt in Haines, Alaska; Photograph by Mike Yoshida
- Skateboarder Greyson Fletcher at Rhodes Skatepark in Boise, Idaho; Photograph by Tal Roberts
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Erin Hogue
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Six years ago, Erin Hogue took a chance and moved to Whistler, British Columbia, with a backpack, a camera and the hopes of taking photos in the backcountry. The mountains and the people who explore them are her primary muses. Inspired by adventure and a good challenge, Hogue’s winters are spent in the backcountry accessing remote locations on a snowmobile. In the summers she heads south, where the ocean, desert and rainforests become her prominent backdrops.
Chris Marshall
Lebanon, New Jersey
Chris’s love for BMX began at age 15, when he got on his first bike and never looked back. He got his first film camera at 20 and within two years was getting published regularly in BMX magazines around the world. Over the years he’s also worked as a photo and sales trainer for several different portrait studios. While action sports remain his favorite subject to shoot, he greatly enjoys portraits because, he says, catching a quick expression can be just as fun as shooting action.
Tal Roberts
Portland, Oregon
Tal Roberts got his start creating still images by hitting the pause button classic mid-90s skateboard videos when the tricks looked just right. Though he didn’t use a real camera until years later, the desire to document his passions started early. Roberts kick started his photographic career while exploring the mountains around his home in Ketchum, Idaho. He currently lives in Portland, Oregon, and continues to focus on making pictures of his friends having fun.
Ed Sloane
Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia
Ed is a freelance photographer with a focus on a surf- and ocean-based aesthetic. His work is a mix of action and art that has been featured in advertising and editorial throughout Australia and internationally. His artistic, systematic and critical approach to the photographic process stems from a prior career in environmental science which has had great influence over his perspective, knowledge and creative vision.
Mike Yoshida
Bellingham, Washington
Mike Yoshida has been in the snow industry for well over a decade. He started as a freelancer before becoming the K2 snowboards staff photographer, and finally ending up as the Associate Photo Editor and Social Media Manager for SNOWBOARDER magazine. From Japan to Europe, and everywhere in between, Yoshida has traveled to the corners of the Earth to create his images. His photography ranges from the most remote backcountry locations to the cold streets that provide the backdrop for urban snowboarding.
Dominic Zimmermann
Zurich, Switzerland
Dominic Zimmermann has focused primarily on snowboard photography for the last ten years and is on a constant search for the best pow to shoot. He’s more than stoked that he was able to combine two of his biggest passions, snowboarding and photography, to make a living and travel the globe.
To vote, access additional information on the finalists and for the full list of rules and guidelines, please visit: xgames.com/zoom.
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Contacts:
Danny Chi, ESPN Communications, 213-405-4400, [email protected]
Grace Coryell, ESPN Communications, 213-405-4402, [email protected]
Olivia Wilson, ESPN Communications, 213-405-4145, [email protected]
