Case study: Rugby Photographer of the Year
Engaging a B2C rugby audience
Sporting Eric’s global search for the very best in rugby photography
The objective
Engage a rugby audience in a full 360 event, adding value to an existing print product, the Sporting Eric-owned Rugby Journal.
What we did
Since launching three years ago, Rugby Journal has become the home of world-class rugby photography, bringing new names to the sport from different areas. Photographers that had never before covered rugby, brought their skills from landscape, portrait, fashion, travel and even food photography to the journal for our bespoke photoshoots, creating a completely unique print product.
Sporting Eric used this point of difference to launch a new 360 event, Rugby Photographer of the Year. Working in partnership with the World Rugby Museum at Twickenham, we launched a multi-category event via Rugby Journal and therugbyjournal.com, culminating in an exhibition at the home of rugby.
What happened
More than 500 photographers from across the world, both amateur and professional, covering everything from grassroots mini rugby to elite international, entered the inaugural awards, which also attracted brand partners including Hong Kong Tourism. A judging panel from both the worlds of rugby and photography chose five category winners, and an overall winner in Italian photographer Daniele Coluciello whose stunning pre-match team talk image of Ampthill rugby club captured the essence of the moment and the sport itself. The exhibition is due to take place in Summer 2021.