Over the past month we’ve had over 3,000 entries in our Canon EOS Inspires competition. It has been brilliant to see such a wealth of talent with so many inspiring entries. We Australians truly are a creative bunch.

In its second year and as an extension of Canon’s EOS Photo5 competition, Canon’s EOS Inspires provided an exclusive opportunity for Sunrise viewers to take part and get creative. It was open to photographers of all skills and levels; the only rule is entrants had to include an umbrella in their entry photo.

The Judge's Choice Award chosen by Aquabumps photographer Eugene Tan, went to the above image, titled ‘Drifting in the Dust’ and captioned, ‘Nevada's Burning Man Festival holds little pieces of awesomeness around every corner. Amongst the dust and make shift camps, a man is determined to drift.’  The Judge’s Choice winner took home a Canon EOS 5D Mark II Premium Kit, valued at $4299.

Tan said the decision wasn’t easy but ultimately he chose this entry for the following reasons (in his words):

- Captures the moment - mid-air, makes it interesting and dynamic
- Composition is good with some unusual shapes. I quite like the large area of sky as it makes me focus on the action below
- The umbrella is a beat up old thing - I liked that too - interesting choice - bit risky

The People's Choice Award went to the below image titled ‘Bella Umbrella’ which showed ‘Beautiful Bella dancing with her umbrella’. The People’s Choice winner also took home a Canon EOS 5D Mark II Premium Kit.