2019 COMPETITION
2020 COMPETITION
2021 COMPETITION
2022 COMPETITION

Y A PAS PHOT’EAU

In 2019, 2020 an 2021, the Inter-regional Mediterranean Arc Flood Unit organised a photo competition in conjunction with the MAYANE Association.
The aim was to inform the general public and regional authorities about the range of flood risks that exist in the 23 Departments of the Mediterranean Arc region.

A jury of 18 experts awarded prizes for the 5 best photos in 2019 and the 3 best photos in 2020 in each of 3 themes. A special public prize was awarded in 2020.
The winning photographers for the first competition explain the process that led them to capture their shots and in 2021 the competition was updated with new subject categories and prizes for photos posted on Instagram.

The competition was free to enter and participants could use all types of photographic equipment (digital and traditional cameras, smartphones, tablets or drones). Here are the 15 prize-winners with comments from the photographers. of the first competition.

2019 COMPETITION

THEME 1: 
Water, the source of floods

2019 COMPETITION

First prize: The storm is comin
Water, the source of floods

“After a mild, sunny afternoon in late winter (almost 20°C on 10 March 2013), the air became increasingly unstable towards the end of the day, indicating sudden showers or storms were on their way. I decided to go the hamlet of Saint Salvayre (Alet les Bains, Aude), where I saw a series of spectacular thunderstorms moving between the plain and the Upper Aude Valley. Although the storm cells weren’t especially powerful, my camera and tripod were nevertheless battered by the elements, including rain, sleet and strong gusts of wind.”

Dorian DZIADULA
Equipment: Canon 450D,
Sigma 17-70mm lens,
42 second exposure, ISO 100, f5
aperture, tripod and wireless remote control

 

Second prize:
RESTONICA“These photos were taken in the Spelunca and Restonica Gorges, in Corsica, during summer 2018. I used a waterproof camera case. These rivers are so beautiful, revitalising and peaceful but they can become dangerous and destructive raging torrents. A few days before, on a river further upstream, the Zoicu Canyon flooded and five people were killed.”

Grégory BRU
Equipment: Large domed liquid eye waterproof camera case designed for surfing, Nikon D7200 digital SLR, with Tokina 10-17mm wide-angle
fisheye lens.

Third prize:
SPELUNCA

Photo: Grégory BRU

Fourth prize:
ERO(UG)ION

““This aerial photo was taken in the amazing Daluis Gorges, in the hills behind Nice. The gorges are the result of erosion by the Var River and there are some great ripple marks in the rocks. The photo spotlights the historic impact of the Var, sculpting and shaping the red rock to look more like immense canyons in America as well as the way people have intervened to tame this unique landscape.”

Dimitri WEBER
Equipment: DJI Mavic Pro drone.

 

 

Fifth prize:
LONG EXPOSURE ALONG THE BRAGUE

“It was a lovely sunny day, so I went for a walk with my camera along the banks of the Brague River, between Valbonne and Biot (06).
I was looking for tiny details that would really make my photos stand out. I paced up and down the riverbank, crouched down, turned around and compared angles to plan my camera shots. I finally settled in this spot, where some pebbles formed a small natural weir that was bathed in lovely colours and light and reflections that really appealed to me.
I set my camera down on its tripod, chose the settings and clicked the shutter. When I looked at the photo it was just at the height I wanted. Result!”

Julien FERRI
Equipment: Body: Canon 60D, Canon 18-135 mm lens, tripod, ND400 filter. Settings: Focal length 120 mm, F/13, ISO 100, exposure time: 30 sec.

THEME 2
Clues from floods of the past

First prize:
TRANSMISSION

“ I’d already seen these flood markers out walking on the banks of the Lez River (34). When I heard about the photo competition and the theme, I instantly thought of this site, with its especially high flood markers. They were so high that my imagination ran riot. I would be underwater if it flooded!
I got my two sons, Louis and Simon, to pose, the elder son telling this little brother about it, hence the title, transmission.”

Nicolas CATTIN

Second prize:
An amusing and resilient memory of the November 2016 flood at St Florent (2B)

“On 7 July 2018, it was the first day of our holidays in Corsica. My family, or “pinzuti” as the locals would call us, went for a walk in Saint Florent. We chanced upon a reminder of the horrendous floods from November 2016. As a civil servant on holiday, it was the most amusing and resilient example of the national flood marker database. Fortunately, there was just material damage which is now nowher.

Carine CHALEON
Equipment : Panasonic DMC-GX7

Third prize:
1993 FLOOD

“A couple of words and a date carved in marble, resembling a tombstone, left as a mark of the passing of time on an old building in remembrance of a past event.
The black and white photo evokes the past and reminds us lessons we sometimes forget. The perspective in the camera shot focuses thoughts on the future, perhaps symbolising transmission to future generations. Overall, the photo provides an artistic and poetic appraisal of flood markers that link the floods of the past and prevention today.”

Jean-Luc LEBLANC
Equipment : Nikon camera body

Fourth prize:
PUDDLES ON DRENCHED LAND

“The Huveaune is a small coastal river that flows into the sea in the bay at Marseille and after a long period of rain, the banks were saturated and could take no more water. The wind, which was whipping up waves in the background and would take some time to dry out the ground. The photos were taken during a strong bout of Mistral after an extended period of wind from the south east.”

Hélène VACELET
Equipment: Nikon D750 with Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens

 

 

 

Fifth prize:
AFTER THE FLOOD OF THE RIEUMASSEL

“A storm cell sat above Grabels (34) on the night of the 6 to 7 October 2014, over the small Rieumassel river catchment. 6 hours of heavy uninterrupted rain followed and as day broke, members of the local consortium visited the hardest hit areas. The first image that stuck in our minds were the homes struck by the flood, with flood water lines ranging from a few centimetres to several metres high and the mud caked on the walls and floors. The second image shows dozens of cars swept away by the floodwaters, piled up on top of each other or wrapped around trees. It just shows the sheer power of the flood.”

Anne BOURSIAC, SYBLE*

 

THEME 3
Society protecting itself from flooding

First prize:
REPROFILING THE ROYÈRES FLOOD BANK AT CHARLEVAL

“The photo was taken during building work to reprofile the Royères flood bank at Charleval (13). It was one of a series of tasks to reconfigure a 15-km long inter-municipal flood protection system along both banks of the Durance.
The flood protection work stood out because it combined efforts to reinstate the river’s profile by drawing back the dykes from the riverbed and banks. This resulted in a countryside feel to the photo rather different to the typical landscape found along the riverbanks.
A little anecdote: It was chatting with the bulldozer driver in the photo that I learned about the deft skills needed to profile the embankment so spectacularly and efficiently, like this. Faced with the task, he profiled almost 20,000 m² of dykes!”

Bertrand JACOPIN, SMAVD*

 

Second prize:
STORM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

“It was March 2018, on the Plage des Sablettes, at La Seyne sur Mer.
I was walking with a couple of friends at La Seyne sur Mer (83) when the Mistral, a powerful south-easterly wind, started to blow.
It was March and there was virtually no one on the Plage des Sablettes which accentuated the flat calm sea that we contemplated in front of us.
Suddenly, gusts of wind threw a breaker against the boulders of the sea wall.
Now the peace was transformed into a chaotic scene.”

Martine OUDIN-CHAMARD-BOIS
Equipment: iPhone7

Third prize:
CONTOUR

“This photo was taken at Marsillargues (34) for my studies.
In 2019, I completed my dissertation project for my landscape Designer degree at Versailles. The topic was managing water-related risks in the Camargue (salt and fresh water). First, I focused on the Vidourle River to judge what effect it had on the local area. After studying the map, I walked along its banks as often as possible, from its source (at St-Hyppolite du Fort) to the sea (at Le Grau du Roi) and back again. These trips helped me understand and grasp the level of risk from water to the local area and ways to avoid them, anticipate them and remember them.”

Corentin LEONARD
Equipment: Samsung A5 2016 smartphone.

 

 

Fourth prize:
PILES

“The Cité Radieuse… but also solid is the feeling you get when you see the 34 nine-metre high piles designed by Le Corbusier in 1952.
Piles were initially used to enable architects overcome constraints imposed by the land, they free up the view as well as space and freedom of movement for people. Nowadays, they provide another dimension making buildings seem unsinkable
The Cité Radieuse has nothing to fear despite being listed in a blue zone, “at risk” site in 2017, when the Huveaune PPRi Risk Prevention Plan, in Marseille.”

Robin LECONTE
Equipment: Olympus OM-2, Olympus Zuiko 24mm lens,
FILM: Lomography Lady Grey B&W 400 35mm

Fifth prize:
CODOLET, SHELTERED

“The village of Codolet in the Gard was devastated by flooding in September 2002 and December 2003.
Protection against the floodwaters of the Cèze and Rhône Rivers is now guaranteed by a 3.5 metre-high, 2.5 km-long flood bank, skirting through vineyards and surrounding the village. When the Cèze flooded in November 2014, Codolet was cut off but not flooded unlike its neighbour, Chusclan.”

Hélène VACELET
Equipment: Nikon D750 and Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 lens

2020 COMPETITION

2020 COMPETITION

Special public prize

AFTER THE STORM IN CAMARGUE
Photo : Didier.wu

 

Thème 1

Water, the source of floods

First prize:
THE SWOLLEN GARDON RIVER

Jacqueline Montet

 

Thème 1

Water, the source of floods

Second prize:
WHEN WATER INVADES THE CITY

Irène SOROLLA

Thème 1

 Water, the source of floods

Third prize:
CALAVON UNCHAINED

Jean-Paul VALLON

 

Thème 2

Clues from floods of the past

First prize:
HE BEACH AFTER THE STORM

Romain HOUY

Thème 2

Clues from floods of the past

Second prize:
HE TALE OF PAST FLOODS
ETCHED IN STONE

Bernard GEORGES

 

Thème 2

Clues from floods of the pas

Third prize:
FLOOD LINE FROM ANOTHER TIME

Chloé SCANNAPIECO

 

Thème 3

Society protecting itself from flooding

First prize:
THE SEA WALLS OF AGDE

Célestin GENESTE, instagram@_pyreneo

Thème 3

Society protecting itself from flooding

Second prize:
PEOPLE PREPARETHEMSELVES FOR FLOODS

Bastien CARRIO

 

Thème 3

Society protecting itself from flooding

Third prize:
A HELPING HAND COMES TO THE RESCUE

Magali GEVAUDAN-PEYRONNET

 

2021 COMPETITION

THEME 1 Before the flood

First prize

La beauté de l’Or

Photo : Fabien Dallo

THEME 1 Before the flood

Second prize

“Beware of sleeping waters!”

Photo: Magali Gevaudan-Peyronnet

THEME 1 Before the flood

Third prize

Whirlpool of clouds

Photo: Virginie RENNUCCI

THEME 2 During the flood

First prize

Boom!

Photo: Sylvain Reybaut

THEME 2 During the flood

Second prize

Mobile home adrift

Photo: Yannick LECENES

THEME 2 During the flood

Third prize

mpromptu waterfalls inspired by nature

Photo: ROUVIERE-FARACO

THEME 3 After the flood

First prize

The garage

Photo: Yannick Bisson

THEME 3 After the flood

Second prize

House swept away by
a flood on the Lèrgue Rive

Photo: Jean-Luc Cayssiols

THEME 3 After the flood

Third prize

Tende


Photo: Jean-Luc LEBLANC

PRIX MIIAM

THEME 3 After the flood

St Laurent de Neste

Photo: Laurence DUPRAT

 

 

CATÉGORIE Instagram

PRIX MIIAM

Desolate shoreline

Photo: @gabybichephotography

 

Area Prefect award

Photo : @mikeul13

2022 COMPETITION

CHAP’EAU L’ARTISTE

In 2022, the photo competition was revised, rebranded and expanded to include other forms of artistic expression. The 3 award categories now focus on visual art, audio art and digital art.
The MIIAM award on Instagram has been retained while special prizes are awarded by the French Association for the Prevention of Natural and Technological Disasters (AFPCNT) and the South Defence and Security Zone (Emiz Sud).

Visual arts category

First prize: Atlantide

Photo montage designed to raise public awareness about adverse effects of the Asian Brown Cloud.

Fabrice Lejoyeux

 

Second prize: Water is sometimes uncontrollable.

Sometimes water and nature are wild and sweep everything away in their path, including concrete structures such as tunnels. So what can we do? How can we be better prepared?

Caroline Guizouarn

Third prize: Floods, water,
water every-where.

I wanted my illustration to convey a sense of emptiness and solitude when water fills, floods and invades an entire space.

Lisa Ducros

 Audio art category

First prize:
A woman engulfed

I chose to address the subject in a free-form poem containing a double-meaning (floods and people).

Isabelle COMTE

 

 

Second prize:
Deluges

I wrote this in the form of an acrostic poem (floods, beware) in a creative style to tell people about flood risks, highlight the right things to do and take preventive measures.
It finishes with a touch of irony and humour by referring to our resilience and ability to relativise things.
The subject is especially meaningful to me as I was caught in a big flood last year and this poem is an ode to “bailing out my cel-lar”.

Annah Weistroffer

 

 

 

Diluviennes

Incontrôlable est l’eau :
Nous échappe bientôt.
Ostentatoire, il faut
Néanmoins l’empêcher
De trop vite déborder.
Avec peine en cet enjeu,
Tous nos efforts annihilés.
Insignifiants face au grand bleu,
On prend une dernière inspiration
Nous attendons.

Avant de couler
Telle l’Atlantide, submergés
Tout reste à sauver
Étages qui seront ton salut
Non sans être reclus
Ton sous-sol vaincu par les crues,
Idylle de l’aquaculture ;
Oublie ta voiture,
Nonobstant tes lames qui se turent.

Message subliminal,
Message primordial.
Mais dans ce drame théâtral ,
Rien se sert de pleurer
Car tes fleurs enfin
Sont arrosées.

Third prize:
Submerged

 Raphaël Heraud

 

 

Digital art category

First prize: Apocalypse in the port of Marseille

I was at the container terminal in Fos sur Mer on 16 August 2022 when a storm kicked up but it was far enough away for me to set up my tripod and take a few shots. I just had time to pack away my equipment before it hit.

Cédric Cadour

 

 

 

Second prize:
Dad, what’s a flood?

This scene is stripped down, simple and colourful. It reminds us that we should be familiar with dangers in order to avoid them.

Antoine & Sasha HENNEB

 

 

 

 

Third prize:
A flooded basement after heavy rainfall.

Marseille, 26 November 2021.

Michaël DOUAT

 

 

 

 

 

AFPCNT prize

Barricade

I illustrated the 3 steps as if they were soaring upwards. First, a huge wave swallows everything in its path then there’s a man trying to build a dam using wooden planks. The image transitions to the third step which is “rising up” as high as the sky-scrapers to symbolise controlling flood risks.

Laura Peyrouto

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMIZ SUD prize

Hope

I painted a family after a flood scanning the sky and seeing the sun appear, a sign that the rain is finished and the flood waters will finally subside.

Jessica Pereira do vale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTAGRAM / PRIX MIIAM

Ever more water!

This 25×65 cm drawing in black felt tip and acrylic paint may be a bit madcap but it portrays my vision of resilience and the need to constantly reinvent ourselves to rebuild and bounce back.

Hanaé ENG / @hanaeng.art