Photo Of A Sleeping Whale With Her Calf Just Won $120,000 At The HIPA Contest And Here Are 17 Of The Winners

Water—this was the theme of this year’s HIPA photography contest. The awards were announced on June 7 and the Grand Prize of 120k dollars went to Jasmine Carey from Australia for her stunning and ethereal photo of a mother Humpback whale sleeping beside her 2-week-old baby. Carey took the photo while underwater in the Kingdom of Tonga, in the South Pacific.

"When the clouds started to roll in, it really softened the light and the mood in the water. It almost felt like what could be an out of body experience, floating on the surface looking down, observing the mum and calf being so comfortable, raw, and true towards each other. They obviously were aware of us but did not let that inhibit their bond. Watching it unfold, I knew it was magic and I just hoped that I would be able to do it justice. It definitely hard al the makings of a beautiful image," Carey told Bored Panda about how she took the magnificent photo.

"Being close to whales is the ultimate wildlife experience. To have an animal the size of a bus acknowledge your existence and be curious of you and genuinely interested is like nothing else. All your emotions what to erupt all at once and yet you feel cleansed of all life’s 'problems,' all the heaviness on our soul just melts away. They really put things into perspective and give you so much joy." Read on for the rest of our interview with Carey and for our chat with HIPA. Scroll down to have a look at Carey's amazing photo, as well as the other best photos from this year’s photography contest. And remember to upvote your faves and let us know in the comments which pics were your favorites and why.

More info: JasmineCarey.com | Facebook | Instagram | HIPA.ae