Winners medal
Winning here (or even just being placed) is Underwater Photography's most coveted accolade because it says you succeeded in the most competitive environment there is, against the top talent of the moment.
Every year a panel of judges select the best images entered in our online photo contest from the previous year. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded for the top three from each category in order of merit.
The judges comprise of industry professionals, previous year's World Champions, our site moderators - anyone we can rope in! They are unpaid, non-affiliated, and (of course) cannot vote for themselves.
You may not agree with the judges. You may think you have 'better shots' at home - prove it! Enter this year's contest.
| World Champion 2014/15 |
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The judges award the photographer who submits the most consistent and complete portfolio over the year World Champion.
Other photographers of distinction are awarded Grand Master.
 The overall 2014/15 World Champion is...
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Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
shots that cross the surface boundary (so under/overs like Snells Window too)
Gold Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
Colorful hatchling
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
over-under with Gilbert
Location: France
Bronze Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
The bluebottle cnidaria is an amazingly beautiful colony of creatures. I wanted to demonstrate this with careful lighting.
Location: Australia
Runner Ups
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
shots taken using ambient light i.e. unlit by flash or continuous lighting like HID but filters on the lens are allowed if declared
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
Divers enjoying the spectacular natural lighting display in Kukulkan
Location: Mexico
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
Green turtle
Location: Mexico
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
Bohar Snapper school
Location: Egypt
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
Wide Angle - Wrecks
anything man-made that is sunk including cars, tanks, planes etc. - oh and ships!
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Dakota C-47 airplane wreck Bodrum/Turkey
Location: Turkey
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Cinematographer at work at the Ex-USS Kittiwake
Location: Cayman islands
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Landrover wreck, National Dive Centre, Chepstow
Location: United Kingdom
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Wide Angle - Divers
Divers doing what divers do - underwater or on the surface
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
divers under the rolling sardine strom
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
selfie with Gilbert
Location: France
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
Freediver in his natural element
Location: Cayman islands
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Divers
Wide Angle - Marine Life
wide angle shots with no divers in frame
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
- Crossways - Tarpon hunting Silversides. This is an image I've been striving for, for over a year now....
Location: Cayman islands
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Crocodylus acutus_5
Location: Cuba
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Tornado over the reef ;-) - a cloud of small engeneer gobys
Location: Philippines
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Wide Angle - Close Focus
shots taken with a WIDE ANGLE (or fisheye) lens having 1) a well defined close subject (usually strobe-lit) AND 2) a wide angle BACKGROUND with a second subject, usually a diver
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus
Ribbed Medusa
Puget Sound, WA, U.S.A.
Location: United States
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus
Kiss Mouthes ;-) - Sweetlips frontal
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus
Friend Felix the Grouper and my buddy. Canary Islands, where oil drilling from Repsol has been approved by the Spanish government yesterday..and where fish like Felix and many other marine species might be at risk from now on...
Location: Spain
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Close Focus
Macro - not swimming
Smaller subjects typically 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5cm) shot on macro settings or with macro equipment that are NOT MOVING usually on the bottom (i.e. between 1:1 and 1:3)
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
pregnant pygmy
Location: Indonesia
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
Eye decoration (old Green turtle eye - Chelonia mydas)
Location: Ecuador
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
"A bugs' life" found this little shrimp walking across a Sabella and could not resist... I had to take a shot :D
Location: Italy
Runner Ups
Macro - not swimming
Macro - swimming
Smaller subjects typically 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5cm) shot on macro settings or with macro equipment that are in MID WATER not touching anything (i.e. between 1:1 and 1:3)
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
Pelagic octopus, free swimming at night off Kona, Hawaii - full size portrait version
Location: United States
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
pipefish
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
Phycodurus eques
Location: Australia
Runner Ups
Macro - swimming
Macro - Nudibranchia
Sea slugs. A subject popular with macro guys! (means naked gills) Flatworms allowed
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
A Spanish Dancer treating me to its graceful dance.
Location: South Africa
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
[:b:]Janolus cristatus while lays eggs.[:/b:]
Location: Italy
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
Nudibrach images inside bubbles.
Location: Philippines
Runner Ups
Macro - Nudibranchia
Macro - Super macro
Shots taken (at smaller than 1:1) with multiple extension rings, diopters, or teleconverters of extremely small subjects typically less than 1 inch (2.5 cm)
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
Pygmyface
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
clingfish
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
Runner Ups
Macro - Super macro
Macro - Close-Up
Shots taken of a subject between 3 inches and 1 foot (7.5 to 30cm) in size (e.g. large fish or diver head) that dominates the frame - any background is incidental and occupies LESS THAN 50% of frame
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
Sabella spallanzani, particular 2
Location: Italy
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
Snooted moray eel from Bodrum/Turkey
Location: Turkey
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
tubeworm colours
Location: Spain
Runner Ups
Macro - Close-Up
Sharks
Shots where sharks are the predominant subject. Sponsored by Stuart Cove's
Gold Medal Winner
Sharks
A Perfect Sunset
Location: South Africa
Silver Medal Winner
Sharks
Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinus perezi) eating lionfish
Location: Cuba
Bronze Medal Winner
Sharks
A blue shark curiously examines my camera as I free-dive below.
Location: South Africa
Runner Ups
Sharks
Temperate Waters
Seas with green water well north or south of tropical zones typically cold enough for drysuits!
Gold Medal Winner
Temperate Waters
sun dance a mountian char in lake Grübl ,Austria /Hi my name is Michael Weberberger I'm from Austria and have been photographing for 4 years with a DSLR and my hobby became a passion, I love diving with sharks but unfortunately there is no in Austria
Location: Austria
Silver Medal Winner
Temperate Waters
Over/under in Lac lioson 1890M-Ascend
Location: Switzerland
Bronze Medal Winner
Temperate Waters
OMG! Too Cute!
Location: United States
Runner Ups
Temperate Waters
Freshwater
shots taken bodies of water with no salt e.g. in lakes, streams, pools, rivers i.e NOT the Sea!
Gold Medal Winner
Freshwater
Reverse side of tne river №2.
Location: Russia
Silver Medal Winner
Freshwater
Face to faces
Location: Brazil
Bronze Medal Winner
Freshwater
Light show in Kululkan, Cenotes
Location: Mexico
Runner Ups
Freshwater
Fashion
Underwater Fashion Photography, Trash the Dress, Wedding and Couple shots and any other shot with models underwater
Gold Medal Winner
Fashion
"Ecstasy"
Canon 7D with Ikelite housing, Canon lens 10-22mm, a flash Ikelite.The image was taken in the most beautiful place for mi in Bulgaria- location Korabite, Sinemorec. Was autumn and the water was pretty cold.
Location: Bulgaria
Silver Medal Winner
Fashion
Result of a Poolshooting
Location: Germany
Bronze Medal Winner
Fashion
presenting you the second picture of the newest campaign made with Papert Pictures for Marmorin.
Head of Production: Agata Kruczek
Photographer: Rafał Makieła
Model: Krysia Księżyk
Production manager: Agata Śliwińska
Make-up artist: Jola B...
Location: Poland
Runner Ups
Fashion
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
Shots that have been digitally edited outside of the camera for creative reasons (not brightness/contrast etc.) in a program like PhotoShop
Gold Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
Night diving on the Full Moon
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
Ghost Protocol
Location: Maldives
Bronze Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
"Squirrel Preparing For Winter" part of my Underwater Surrealism Series. Squirrel Fish shot in the Dry Tortugas
Location: United States
Runner Ups
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
Topside (above water but marine related)
shots above the surface. Can be on land but with relevance to the marine environment
Gold Medal Winner
Topside (above water but marine related)
hermit crab
Location: Cuba
Silver Medal Winner
Topside (above water but marine related)
BEFORE and AFTER the shot
This tiny green frog swam to the boat and sticked to it. I took some pics and suddenly, the frog decided to jump on my macro lens and on my Nikon to find a little house under my internal strobe.
Location: Ecuador
Bronze Medal Winner
Topside (above water but marine related)
Uluabat lake Golyazi/Bursa
Location: Turkey
Runner Ups
Topside (above water but marine related)