Cranston, Rhode Island - SWAROVSKI OPTIK NORTH AMERICA, a subsidiary of the Austrian-based company, announces the winner of the 7th annual "Digiscoper of the Year" photography contest, Tara Tanaka. This year, the 2012 "Digiscoper of the Year" contest saw yet another rise in participation, nearly 1,400 photos were submitted, almost 200 more than in 2011, and 917 ratings were given online.
Tara Tanaka from the US, impressed both the expert jury and the general public with her fascinating photo portrait of a cattle egret (bubulcus ibis), making her a worthy holder of the "Digiscoper of the Year 2012" title. Her prize for winning the competition is a set of SWAROVSKI OPTIK digiscoping equipment comprising of the new STX 30-70x95 spotting scope with a TLS-APO adapter, a spotting scope rail and the lightweight CT 101 carbon tripod with a DH 101 tripod head. Tara also won the "Digiscoper of the Year" contest in 2011, making her the winner of the contest two years in a row.
Second place went to Mario Cea Sánchez from Spain who impressed the jury with his photo of a barn swallow (hirundo rustica) in flight. The use of a lighting system made it possible to produce this photo, providing an impressive demonstration of the wide variety of applications offered by digiscoping. He will receive a pair of EL 50 SWAROVISION binoculars as his prize from SWAROVSKI OPTIK.
Denis Bertanzetti from Italy took third place. The jury was impressed with his double portrait of two great crested grebes (Podiceps cristatus) looking at each other, captured in a winter landscape. He will receive a pair of EL 32 SWAROVISION binoculars from SWAROVSKI OPTIK for his photo.
The "Digiscoper of the Year 2012" competition was decided again this year on the basis of the combined scores from an international jury of experts and a public vote by registered visitors ofwww.digiscoperoftheyear.com. The selection criteria for the jury were the relevance to the competition's theme, as well as the aesthetic aspect of the photographs and picture sharpness. The best 20 digiscoping photographs submitted have been published by SWAROVSKI OPTIK onwww.digiscoperoftheyear.com.
During the 4-month-long competition, fans on the SWAROVSKI OPTIK Facebook fan page chose the three most popular digiscoping photos each month, and the relevant photographers were awarded a top-quality SWAROVSKI OPTIK fleece jacket as a prize.
The three winning photos are available for you to download here, free of charge, provided the photographer is credited accordingly:
http://mam.swarovskioptik.com/pindownload/login.do?pin=E4MURC PIN-Code: E4MURC.
If you require any further information or photography please contact:
Dean J. Capuano, Director of Communications
SWAROVSKI OPTIK NORTH AMERICA LTD
2 Slater Road, Cranston, Rhode Island 02920
Tel. 800-426-3089 x2957, Fax. 877-287-8517
Dean.Capuano@swarovskioptik.us
WWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM
