Last week we launched the first #gvpics Instagram competition – asking you, dear readers, to use the #gvpics tag on your best Instagram photographs of Iceland. But not just the oft-seen aurora and landscapes shots – we asked for characters, towns, wilderness, dark corners, weird food, street art, etc etc etc).

We had 177 entries to go through, with a lot of people going back to their holidays here over the last few years and retrospectively tagging stuff up. Which is great! And this competition is going to keep running, so if you want to win a Grapevine t-shirt and have your photo put up on the Grapevine Instagram, get tagging!

Firstly, here are some runners up, in no particular order:

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So. Are these graffiti whales pregnant or… cannibals?

#husavík #island #gvpics

A photo posted by knusperkasper (@knusperkasper) on Aug 14, 2013 at 7:09am PDT

Is this cat part of the graffiti? WTF.

Believe it or not / Graffiti on city streets / That’s not a real cat #hykuwoftheday #gvpics

A photo posted by Julie (@hykuw1342) on May 3, 2015 at 6:19pm PDT

We like this one because it kinda looks like Rininta is wearing a Starfleet uniform.

“Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days.” – Wikipedia Selfie in front of #Skógafoss, a waterfall situated on the #Skóga river in the south of #Iceland at the cliffs of the former coastline.

A photo posted by Rininta Schmitt (@superninta) on Feb 9, 2015 at 11:17am PST

Srsly though, you gotta love a Vík photo this wistful. So much wist.

The beach at Dyrhólaey with the Reynisdrangar (basalt sea stacks) in the background. The stacks are supposedly from when two trolls tried to drag a 3 mast ship to land and it turned to stone at daybreak! #iceland #ísland #inspiredbyiceland #mystopover #roadtrip #nature #gvpics

A photo posted by Ian Cumberland (@iancumberland) on Apr 15, 2015 at 2:01pm PDT

Taken up in the North recently – can you believe this shit was in May?

North #iceland in May. Almost as cold as Manchester. Almost. #gvpics #travel #snow

A photo posted by Ghosting Season (@ghostingseason) on May 6, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

Art residencies are springing up all over Iceland. Here’s what’s going on in one.

Progress shot of the 24 ft drawing im working on at the listhus art residency in iceland #listhus #gvpics
A photo posted by leya tess (@leyatess) on May 6, 2015 at 7:53am PDT

This person seems to have caught a fucking… robot wasp.

The last time we went fishing it didn’t exactly work out… #nodinnerforyou #gvpics

A photo posted by Charla Basran (@cjbasran) on May 8, 2015 at 9:48am PDT

Moniskro maybe needs a cameraphone upgrade, but this view of Reykjavík city from Perlan is still one of the best.

Reykjavik Iceland #gvpics

A photo posted by moniskro (@moniskro) on Apr 7, 2015 at 4:40am PDT

Icelandic sheepdogs. They are a thing!

My #favorite #new #friend #today: an #Icelandic sheep #dog, #native to this #country #Iceland #icelandicadventures #gvpics

A photo posted by I_Am_Not_A_Jedi (@i_am_not_a_jedi) on May 9, 2015 at 4:57pm PDT

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

We got two different entries with a flock of sheep as their subject. Both are great shots – one a wall of wool and curious eyes, the other an eerie sea of staring heads. Both are weirdly captivating. And so both win! Well done @ingibjorgolafs and @hannes_nrm, we’ll be in touch to send the Grapevine t-shirt. And if #gvpics winners don’t live in Iceland, we’ll throw in a copy of our latest newspaper too.

Allar ánægðar að sjá mig #aðdáendahópurinnminn

A photo posted by Ingibjörg Ólafsdóttir (@ingibjorgolafs) on Apr 18, 2015 at 11:24am PDT

Finally, gathering some #sheep again and meeting old friends. #smala #iceland #rettir #rettir2014 #svinadalur #blöndudalur #mähhh #gvpics

A photo posted by Hannes Schulze (@hannes_nrm) on Sep 7, 2014 at 8:36am PDT

And don’t forget to enter yourself for the next round of #GVpics. Tag ’em up!