Winners Announced in 2026 V. Photography Contest

The results are in for the 2026 V. Photography Contest are in with some fantastic images sharing a glimpse of life a V. globally.

A diverse set of images came in from around the globe from seafarers in all sectors of V. Ships.  Thanks to our judging panel of Katie Lea, David Nolan, Marie Kenny, and the kind support from Julia Russell at GMT, this year for selecting the winners and runners up in the three key themes of Culture and Community; Safety and the Environment; and Innovation and Learning.

The winner of the Culture and Community Image is Captain Agung Bekti Nugroho the Master onboard FSO Pertamina Abherka with his image entitled ‘Working in unity, across cultures, to achieve a common goal.

“Thank you for your appreciation. The photo illustrates our commitment to carrying out our duties and responsibilities with full dedication, maintaining good communication with superiors, colleagues, and subordinates, and upholding our HSSE culture. This idea came to us after our weekly safety meeting, where we usually do our usual cheerleading, and then we thought of taking a picture from a different angle. And this symmetrical shape happened spontaneously.” Capt. Nugroho

In the Safety and the Environment category Pumpman Rahul Thundiyil won with his striking image of a Dutch rescue helicopter and vessel training in the North Sea. The image highlights both the remote environment and the emergency measures necessary for the safety of our seafarers.

Chief Officer Maxim Nozdrin won the Innovation and Learning section with a creative image entitled ‘Elegance Maintenance’ that humorously reflected the potential to turn daily activities onboard into a learning experience and an innovative approach to life at sea with V.

The three winners will receive a $250 Travel voucher from GMT, and we look forward to showcasing their work on our channels in the coming months.

Of course, amongst the entries there were plenty of choice with a runner up in each category worthy of a special mention.

Carpenter Angel Balagtas on the Magellan Explorer captured a fantastic image of a Leopard Seal as unique view of the environment in which some of our seafarers’ work.

Dhanarajan Radhakrishnan the Fourth Engineer onboard Front Challenger captured a sunlit panorama of 276m tanker from the port bridge deck, an unusual view for an engineer of these innovative and technical vessels.

While Chief Officer Venus Prado captured the spirit of life onboard for the batch of cadets joining Seaways Guayaquil for their first rotation in Argentinian waters.

A final word from our judges and we hope you all enjoy this year’s images.

“Our seafarers showcased a remarkable ability to capture their lives at sea, and the positive energy shines through in every image. Choosing the winners was no easy feat. I only wish we could award everyone.”  Julia Russell, GMT

“We saw such a brilliant mix of creative entries from colleagues across sea and shore. Narrowing it down wasn’t easy, but a huge congratulations to the winners for perfectly capturing our 2026 themes.” Marie Kenny, Commercial Associate V.Group

“Once again, all the photos received had their own merits and provoked much debate amongst the judges.  We did have some very striking photos sent in this year that suggest adding an additional category to introduce further opportunity for our shore colleagues and our seafarer’s families.”  David Nolan, HSSEQ Manager, V.Ships UK

“It was a pleasure to review all these photos which offered a fascinating glimpse into life at sea from many different angles.  The images really show the creativity and spirit of our seafarers, along with a clear respect for the marine environment. Many thanks to all who entered and congratulations to our winners!”  Katie Lea, Director of Culture and Engagement