Danish photographer Esben Zøllner Olesen has four images in the semifinal of the international sports and adventure photography competition The Illume, the first time a Dane has reached that stage with four photographs.
DR reports that Olesen, who lives in Odense but comes from Jutland, learned the news by email on September 1, 2026. He told DR that he was at home on a rainy autumn day when the message arrived.
According to DR, thousands of photographers from more than 90 countries submitted over 15,000 images to the competition. The West Australian, reporting on another 2026 semifinalist, states that 750 semifinalists were selected from 15,541 entrants.
The competition honors photographers who capture creative and striking images of people in extraordinary situations. Olesen noted that many of the competing photographs were taken on large mountains, in deserts, and on rushing rivers and glaciers. Denmark offers far fewer opportunities for disciplines such as skiing and climbing, he said.
Two of his four semifinal photographs were taken at an international kitesurfing competition at Nørre Vorupør in 2025. The other two come from a Japanese visitor’s bicycle trip around the Copenhagen area, where Olesen joined the ride.
Three cameras stopped working
Olesen’s own favorite shows a kitesurfer suspended many meters above the sea at Nørre Vorupør. Per DR, the weather that day included hurricane-force gusts and blowing sand. All three of his cameras stopped working during the event.
Olesen said the equipment was top professional gear that should have withstood the conditions. After about half an hour he restarted one camera on site, and a second once he was home. The third never worked again.
That broken camera took the favorite image, making the photograph one of the last frames the device ever recorded. Olesen said he cannot bring himself to throw it out. It now sits on a shelf in his office as a reminder of conditions his cameras cannot survive.
He said he did not know how high the kitesurfer was on that particular jump. Later in the competition, some riders jumped more than 300 meters in length and over 30 meters in height, according to Olesen. Riders stayed airborne for 10 to 20 seconds while performing tricks.
Finalists due within weeks
DR reports that it will become clear over the next few weeks whether any of Olesen’s four photographs advance to the final. No Danish photographer has previously had images in the final of the competition. Olesen said such a result would be significant, particularly because the pictures were taken in Denmark.
The photographs were shown by DR alongside its report on September 26, 2026. Olesen was photographed at work at the kitesurfing competition in Nørre Vorupør by Morten Vaupell.
