History of SpeleoFotoContest

The idea of SpeleoFotoContest was born in Frasassi in 2004, when a group of friends who were speleologists gathered over a glass of wine (or more than one). They were all passionate about photography and came from various parts of Italy. We are talking about a time when film was still used, lighting was done with flashes or halogen lamps powered by rather heavy batteries, the internet existed but the pinnacle of innovation was downloading music from Napster at 56K, and social networks were far from being born. In short, technologically speaking, it was a geological era ago.

The first three editions were characterized by countless and growing expressions of appreciation, even from abroad. In fact, from the very first edition, boundaries were crossed by awarding the first prize to a pair of speleophotographers, Kasia Biernacka and Marcin Gala from the Warsaw Speleoclub. The third edition took place in Sardinia in 2007, in Iglesias, during the XX National Congress of Speleology.

Those first three editions (2005-2006-2007) were almost like a whirlwind, a series of events and emotions that inevitably led to the need for a physiological pause. The subsequent premature passing of dear Marco Ottalevi, one of the founders, contributed to extending this break, as it was difficult to restart knowing that one of the key figures was no longer there.

All this lasted until 2018, when the organizing committee was finally re-established with old and new friends, officially founding the Cultural Association SpeleoFotoContest and managing to organize the 4th edition, the first of the “Social” era. From there, the association moved forward with other initiatives and the emergence of a new, embryonic idea of a contest, no longer tied to the awarding of material prizes but to something symbolic.

Thus, in 2022, the Sentry Award was born. This trophy has since been used to recognize excellence in speleological photography. It consists of a three-dimensional representation of the “Sentinella,” the iconic speleothem guarding the treasure chamber at the top of the Lucchese climb in the Antro del Corchia cave. Already the logo of the SFC Association, the trophy is created through white resin 3D printing, using a model obtained via photogrammetric surveying conducted directly on-site by the association’s team.

Over the years, SFC has been more than just a “contest.” It has also involved exhibitions, moments of sharing, outreach, and educational activities for both adults and children, with specific initiatives aimed at bringing an increasingly broad audience closer to the underground world.