Lebanon-based Travel Risk Company Celebrates Resilient Spirit and Enduring Strength Through International Travel Images Since the Pandemic    

 Lebanon, N.H. – September 26, 2022 – Following more than two years of extraordinary travel restrictions, challenges and prohibitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an international collection of images on display at the AVA Gallery and Art Center (AVA) captures the irrepressible soul and abiding toughness of travelers who have ventured near and far.   

“The main aspiration of travel photography is to awaken people to the world beyond the borders of their imagination and see all that it has to offer. It is an intimate, safe and engaging way to enlighten individuals about other cultures’ traditions and highlight how they differ from their own,” said Samantha Eckert, AVA Exhibition Manager. 

“Everyone was impacted by the pandemic, some more severely than others. Travelers were, and are, eager to fight back to regain their family vacations, business trips and adventure travels,” said Dan Richards, CEO of Lebanon-based Global Rescue, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services. “The flexibility and toughness demonstrated by travelers and the travel and tourism industry can only be defined as resilience.”   

The annual Global Rescue photo contest began in 2013 to showcase the amazing expeditions and journeys of travelers.   

“Amateur and professional photographers from all over the world submitted nearly 500 images for consideration in the 2021 Photo Contest. While all were outstanding, the 24 images on display serve as the most moving testaments to traveler tenacity during the pandemic,” said Chelsea Bakos-Kallgren, an award-winning graphic designer and design head for Global Rescue.    

  • The Global Rescue Travel Photo Exhibition at AVA Gallery and Art Center runs from October 7th to November 5th, 2022. 
  • AVA’s Carter-Kelsey Gallery, located 11 Bank Street in Lebanon, NH, is open 11 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Saturday.
  • Entry to the exhibit is free and open to the public.
  • Call 603-643-4120 for details. 

The contest featured four categories: togetherness, landscape, outdoor activity and animal travel companions.  

  • The grand prize winner and first place winner of the Togetherness category was Mithail Afrige Chowdhury for his photograph “COVIID-Negative Celebration” – a Bangladeshi birthday celebration for a 12-year-old girl who had just beaten her battle with coronavirus.   
  • Skier and photographer Chuck Evans sacrificed a ski run to capture his winning image in the Landscape category. “Pure Bliss” captured Evans’ friend and professional skier, Ricky Ceccant, during an April 2021 heli-ski trip to Haines, Alaska.     
  • In the Outdoor Action Category, first place was awarded to Har Rai Khalsa, an Oregon native who grew up snowboarding, windsurfing and surfing and later fell in love with photography in high school. His photograph – “Immersed in Brazil” – depicts a submerged Italian windsurfer, Greta Marchegger.     
  • “Best Friends” by Joshua Tobey – a wildlife sculptor whose work is on display in four states – won the Animal Travel Companion category. During a September 2021 family trip in Wyoming’s Green Mountain, Indy – a Parson Russell terrier – climbed up and perched on the shoulder of a family member who was tracking elk using binoculars.     

“The photographers found strength, spirit, courage, character, flexibility and determination in their subjects during a time when we all needed it,” Richards said.   

The judges’ panel included: Mark Edward Harris, who has visited and photographed in more than 100 countries; Lydia Schrandt, who serves as the first chair of the Editors Council of the Society of American Travel Writers; Paul Shoul, photographer for GoNomad.com; and Bakos-Kallgren.     

“The resilience captured in these images highlights the flexibility and toughness of travelers during a period when the whole world shared the same challenge,” said Michael Holmes, VP Marketing at Global Rescue.   

About Global Rescue    

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation, and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments, and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor, and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments, and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.    

Contact Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or 202.560.1195 (phone/text) for more information.