The equestrian sport has many faces, it tells exciting stories and it can be incredibly emotional. The prize-giving ceremony of the “Silver Camera” proved that again on Saturday evening, when the best sport photo of the year was selected.

What distinguishes a good photo? The motif? The technical quality? The moment? The atmosphere? A star-studded jury have to answer this question every year, because the organisers of the CHIO Aachen, the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V. (ALRV), traditionally confer the “Silver Camera” for the best international equestrian sport photo of the year. 140 photographs had been submitted, but only one could win. This year the German show-jumper, Jana Wargers; last year’s winner, Mirka Nilkens; Andreas Müller (CEO Medienhaus Aachen) and ALRV board member, Birgit Rosenberg were responsible for selecting the winners and runners-up.

The entry submitted by Pauline von Hardenberg convinced the high-calibre jury the most. Her photo, which captured an exceptional moment during the 2022 World Championships in Herning, Denmark, particularly stood out among the submitted entries because of its perfect interplay between emotion and technique. Second place went to the photographer Diana Wahl, who shot a photo of an intimate moment at the exit of the Deutsche Bank Stadium. The photographer from Aachen, Andreas Steindl, came third with an impressive encounter between a carriage and a rainbow.

The “Silver Camera” is awarded by the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein and was initiated by the artist, Wolfgang Lamché. The prize was presented on Saturday evening by the ALRV Supervisory Board member, Peter Weinberg. The winner receives prize money to the value of 2,500 Euros, second place is endowed with 1,000 Euros and third place with 500 Euros.