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 2010/11 |
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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 2010/11 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)
Six foot
Location: South Africa
Silver Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
Another beautiful day to be a turtle in Hawaii.
Location: United States
Bronze Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
Lions mane jelly. Shot using a port extension I constructed myself for around £20. Canon G11, Canon housing, ys110 strobe under.
Location: United Kingdom
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 and crystal water...a dream
Location: Mexico
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
Minke Whale
Location: Australia
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)
sea lion backlight
Location: Ecuador
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
Evelio exploring the wreck.
Location: Bahamas
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Prop of the Monem Wreck in Cesme. It turns out that my model was not the only one posing for thşs shot :) Nikon D200+Sigma 15mm Fisheye with YS110 Strobe connected via TTL converter.
Location: Turkey
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
P29 Patrol boat in 36metres
Taken with an Olympus 5000z
F2.8 1/125 ISO 160
Location: Malta
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Wide Angle - Divers
Divers doing what divers do - underwater or on the surface
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
Fashion & nudity
Location: Israel
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
Say "Cheese"
Researcher takes a family portrait
Location: Dominica
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
Swimming pool session. Reflections and colors are real - not photoshopped. Minor adjustments to levels and saturation.
Location: United States
Runner Ups
Wide Angle - Divers
Wide Angle - Marine Life
wide angle shots with no divers in frame
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Hammerhead, Galapagos, up close!
Location: Ecuador
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Point me in the RIGHT direction!!
Location: South Africa
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
So big, so gentle... Cruising whale shark. Nikon D300+10.5 mm fisheye. Cropped and color adjusted.
Location: Maldives
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
CFWA. Wire Coral Goby & Diver
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus
It took some time and trial to place the batfish in the background
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus
This area had lots of big healthy beautiful elephant ear sponges, caught my buddy cruising over the top!
Location: Netherlands Antilles
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
Harlequin shrimp
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
A goldentail moray getting real up close and personal at Invisibles, Bonaire. Nikon D300 in Nexus housing, 2z Inon Z-240 strobes.
Location: Netherlands Antilles
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
white & red
Location: Philippines
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
Juvenile Squid in tight frame ( I followed Jackie C's advice..thanks, Jackie ).
Location: Turkey
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
Yellow baby boxfish
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
Plectorhincus vittatus
Location: Indonesia
Macro - Nudibranchia
Sea slugs. A subject popular with macro guys! (means naked gills) Flatworms allowed
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
I like the colours...
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
"Naked Gills"
Nikon F90X with 105mm Macro Lens and +2 Diopter and wet diopter
Location: Mozambique
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
Nembrotha lineolata on golden sea squirt (Polycarpa aurata)
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
"OK, I'm ready for my close up." .................Tiny 15mm Western Cleaner Clingfish (Cochleoceps bicolor)
Location: Australia
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
Picture taken at only 5 meters of depth. It took me a long time to take the right shot but I'm very, very happy with the result!!
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
"tentacles"
Tentacles of a luminescent jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca )
Location: Spain
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
Blu eyes
Nikon D200, 60 micro, ywin strobo
Lembeh 2010
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
Sand pipefish
Location: Philippines
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
Seastar on night dive - Saudi Arabia - Canon S90 with hand torch light
Location: Saudi Arabia
Runner Ups
Macro - Close-Up
Sharks
Shots where sharks are the predominant subject. Sponsored by Stuart Cove's
Gold Medal Winner
Sharks
This image was taken while we waited for the arrival of Tiger Sharks. Very exciting dive! Lucky I was to watch the action.
Location: Bahamas
Silver Medal Winner
Sharks
In the MIX!! Sorry about all the bubbles, just absolutely unavoidable...
Location: South Africa
Bronze Medal Winner
Sharks
Mako shark
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
Lumpsucker - Male
Dancing in front of my domeport
Location: Denmark
Bronze Medal Winner
Temperate Waters
Harbour seal. Canon ixus 980.
Location: Canada
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
Posta Fibreno Lake Italy
Location: Italy
Silver Medal Winner
Freshwater
UNDERWATER BEAUTY EDITORIAL for WIENERIN MAGAZINE
- promotion for waterproof makeup
see more on www.susannestemmer.com
Location: Austria
Bronze Medal Winner
Freshwater
chac Mool cenote kukulcan Room
Location: Mexico
Runner Ups
Freshwater
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)
Fun with Photoshop #2. Original shot from Anilao, Philippines. A year without doing much diving meant time for photoshop.
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
sky, earth, water
Location: Egypt
Bronze Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
Dangerzone !!!
Fiercelooking animals. However the homo sapiens is probably the more fearsome.
Animals shot in Egypt, Tenerife, Indonesia and the Maldives. The diver is my wife (not fearsome :-) ). The background is Palm Mar cave on Tenerife.
Location: Spain
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)
Feeling sleepy ?
In the Galapagos all the animals are unafraid and come very close to people. This little sea lion was tired of resting on the rocks so thought nothing of using one of the sun loungers instead !!!
Location: Ecuador
Silver Medal Winner
Topside (above water but marine related)
Ice boat ... it was quite cold last week in Switzerland.
Location: Switzerland
Bronze Medal Winner
Topside (above water but marine related)
Eastern Fields reef from the surface
Location: Papua New Guinea
Runner Ups
Topside (above water but marine related)