The final shot of the 16th 'Enfoca Mijas' Photography Marathon was heard last Friday 27th in the Town Hall plenary hall. It was not the click of a camera, but the sound of applause at the awards ceremony, the closing event of a competition that, once again, has demonstrated remarkable vitality and widespread appeal. Always dedicated to the memory of our dearly missed Mijas photographer Jesús Jaime Mota, the competition brought together 160 participants on the day, who submitted an impressive total of 864 photographs.
The councillor for Culture, Juan Carlos Maldonado (PMP), highlighted the importance of keeping Mota's legacy alive through this marathon, which already has "a long history and a lot of participation". He thanked both the participants and the jury for their work and reaffirmed the Culture Department's commitment to "consolidate this photography marathon and provide opportunities to local artists and everyone who loves Mijas to develop their art".

- La entrega de reconocimientos
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Stories behind a photo
From all the entries submitted, an expert jury selected 89 for a compilation video and 30 for a travelling exhibition. Of these, five special awards were given. The winners were Aitor Muñoz Muñoz for his work 'Para comérsela'; Pedro Estepa Gálvez for 'Burritos'; José Moreno Martín for 'La chica de los moños espaciales' ; María Márquez Crespillo for 'Enfoca Mijas'; and Francisco Manuel Aguilar Postigo for 'Vida en tres plantas'.
And behind each snapshot, there is a story. José Moreno confessed that his winning image was the result of a chase: "You have to look for the photos. You have an idea of what you want to capture, but you need the right subject. And of course, when I saw the girl with those buns, dressed all in black, I followed her”, he said with a laugh.

- La muestra en la Casa Museo de Mijas Pueblo
- | M.C.
For María Márquez, former president of the Nuevo Enfoque Association, this award was especially meaningful because, “I’ve only been participating for a few years because I was always working behind the scenes, in the organisation, and never took part myself. Once I stepped down from that role, I thought, why not give it a go? For me, it’s much more than a prize, it’s a recognition from my own town".
Another of the winners, Francisco Manuel Aguilar, who is enjoying a particularly successful period, admitted he’s “on a bit of a roll”, having recently also won the Sur newspaper marathon. “These things come as a surprise and bring joy. I think there were so many excellent photos; it was really difficult to choose”, said the photographer, who captured his everyday scene from a small ravine, with the subjects unaware that they were being immortalised for posterity.
Seeing Mijas through different eyes
The 30 finalist photographs are now on display at the Casa Museo in Mijas Pueblo, where they will be exhibited until July 21st. After that, the exhibition will travel to the Casa de la Cultura in Las Lagunas in August, and then to the Cultural Centre in La Cala from December onwards. It’s a unique opportunity to see Mijas through the talent and passion of the local artists’ perspectives.
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