I’ve been looking forward to announcing the Mexico Moments Photo Contest winners since the contest began on our second anniversary and Mexico’s birthday, September 16th.
If you’ve been following the steady stream of new photos added to the Mexico Moments photo gallery, you know that we’ve received many outstanding images that capture the essence of Mexico in the eyes and minds of expats in Mexico and aspiring expat photographers from around the world.
Photos came mainly from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, but Europe had a few great entries, also. The most distant photo arrived from Belarus. Our Expats In Mexico team judged 66 entries based on originality and artistic merit to select the 10 best Mexico Moments photos.
Cyndra Schultz from Playa del Carmen submitted a gorgeous black and white photo of a Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City (our featured photo above) to capture the top prize of a US$300 Amazon gift certificate.
This is how she described her photo: “We absolutely love the Day of the Dead, it’s a unique experience to watch the famous parade in Mexico City! It is a privilege to experience this wonderful, heart-warming way the lives of loved ones are celebrated.”
Cyndra is a full-time mom who stays busy raising her two beautiful daughters in Playa del Carmen. Her family moved to Mexico in 2016 from South Africa to live in Mexico City. Although she misses the beauty and wildlife of her homeland, Cyndra has found Mexico intriguing and the people welcoming and friendly. The family is now putting down roots along the Maya Riviera and love the beauty of what she calls “the Maya wonderland.” She plans to use her prize to purchase more photo equipment.
We’ll be featuring Cyndra and some of her photography in an upcoming article.
The US$200 Amazon gift certificate for second place was awarded to Jaime Barbiery of Chapala. Jaime described his photo this way: “A noble, youthful Pre-Hispanic danzante. A magical Mexican moment for a fine representation of the proud Pre-Hispanic Mexican culture.”
Third place – a US$100 gift certificate – went to Kristina Bakrovski from Los Angeles. Kristina described her winning entry: “Carrying the weight of generational traumas.”
The seven contest runner-ups – in no particular order – all did wonderful work as you can see from their photos:
Geri Radford, Prince Albert, Canada: “Siesta Time in San Pancho, Nayarit.”
John Hamilton, La Paz, Baja California Sur: “This is a catrina at the 2017 Dia de los Muertos at the Teatro Cuidad judging in La Paz, BCS. While this catrina is striking, she also represents for me the difference between the US and Mexico in the celebration of life and death and the remembrance of those who have passed. In Mexico, Dia de los Muertos is for me the combination of Halloween, Memorial Day, and Thanksgiving and this catrina evokes the emotions of both sadness and celebration.”
Tom Bartelt, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: “Los Locos parade 2016.”
Tiago Leoni Aialla, Mexico City, Mexico: “Tortilla makers in Tepoztlán City market. The family has run the small business for more than 20 years in exactly the same location, sharing the flavor of these amazing handmade tortillas with the local people and some lucky tourists.”
Linda Bott, La Paz, Baja California Sur: “Ballet Folklorico, a mosaic of dances which reflect the traditions, customs, legends, beliefs, and lifestyles of people in particular countries and regions of Mexico. Folkloric dance expresses the life and spirit of a people through its movement and music. It is both historical and current, preserving tradition yet moving with the present times.”
Ivan Molina, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico: “Semana Santa in Puerto Vallarta.”
Luis Penaloza, Sacramento, United States: “Spent this past week in Guanajuato and I must say, it’s one of the nicest cities I’ve ever visited. This photo was taken with my iPhone on a stroll with my wife.”
Each of the runner-ups will receive a signed copy of my book, “Boomers in Paradise: Living in Puerto Vallarta.”
If you did not win this year, hang in there. We’ll celebrate our third anniversary next September with another photo contest.
