Ciara Fynn, a tour guide from Dublin is trading in her life on land, to life on sea after winning a three-week cruising contract on three different ships as Royal Caribbean International’s official Instagrammer.
The competition ‘Intern-Ship’ was launched in January by Royal Caribbean to offer you a chance to sail on a Royal Caribbean Ship, capturing three photos a day being paid £3,000 over three weeks – Not bad for just under a month’s work! All you had to do was post your favourite, most inspiring image on Instagram, anchored to the hashtag #ExtraordinaryExplorer
After four weeks of entries and over 75,000 stunning photos, a judging panel comprising of travel blogger Johnny Ward; Travel Weekly Editor-in-Chief Lucy Huxley and Royal Caribbean’s Ben Bouldin, finally came to a decision and announced Ciara the winner.
The photo Ciara submitted was of two young Buddhist monks taking some time out at Kathmandu, a rare snapshot into the lives of two children half the world away. The judges said “The image has strong visual appeal, originality and inspires viewers to jump out of the ordinary and explore the world”
Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean’s Managing Director, UK and Ireland and the brainchild of ‘Intern-ship’ said: “Ciara’s entry was everything we were looking for when we launched our Instagram ‘Intern-ship’. We’re confident that Ciara will be able to skillfully shoot similarly amazing moments onboard our fleet, capturing the imaginations of the younger generation and inspiring them to consider cruising as their next big adventure.”
After hearing that she was the winner, Ciara Flynn said: “Becoming Royal Caribbean’s Extraordinary Explorer is the experience of a lifetime. I’ve always loved photography and have been doing it for as long as I can remember. Capturing the magic in the ordinary moments in life tells a much richer story than words ever could, so I’m thrilled to be able to get the chance to do this with Royal Caribbean.”
Although Ciara won, there were so many incredible photos. Here are some that made the shortlist:
