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 2022/23 |
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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 2022/23 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)
Split of diver taken at the HMAS Protector, Heron Island
Location: Australia
Silver Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
Fish soup in a mountain lake in Austria.
Location: Austria
Bronze Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)
Cœur de grotte <3
Location: France
Wide Angle - Wrecks
anything man-made that is sunk including cars, tanks, planes etc. - oh and ships!
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Location: THE CHRISOULA K
Olympus OMD-EM5,
Nauticam Housing
Inon z240 x2
Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use: © 2022 Christian Llewellyn.
Location: Egypt
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
Shot is taken in Egypt on the Ghianis D
Location: Egypt
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
On a dive of the U455 (92-118m depth) I saw at 101m depth a very big Molamola. The picture shows a nice fish using the wreck as protection to hide a little bit.
Location: Italy
Wide Angle - Divers
Divers doing what divers do - underwater or on the surface
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
Cenote Maravilla, Hell's Bells.
The Hells Bells are Biothems that appear to have formed through incompletely understood complex interplays between water of the cave, microorganisms living in the cave, and the surface of them.
Location: Mexico
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers
This picture is taken in the Felicitas Slate mine in Germany. An underwater museum
Location: Germany
Wide Angle - Marine Life
wide angle shots with no divers in frame
Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
goliath grouper youning,
Location: Cuba
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Threes Company
Location: United States
Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
Feeding Manta in South Ari Atoll, Maldives
Location: Maldives
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
Tasty pastry.
Elegant and colorful jelly fish, El Quseir, Egypte.
Nikon D80 with Ikelite housing and two Ikelite strobes. Tamron SP-AF 17-50, 17mm, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/60.
Location: Egypt
Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus
Giant Australian Cuttlefish taken at Whyalla, South Australia during their annual breeding migration.
Location: Australia
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
Three-headed eel
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
Pike
Location: Puerto Rico
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming
This small pipefish lives in the Netherlands in 'het Grevelingenmeer'.
Location: Netherlands
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
This is a photo of a fish in a jellyfish, hiding from predators. Taken in Anilao, Philippines during one of our blackwater dives.
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
Coconut Octopus in his little plastic house.
Location: Philippines
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
Dinner time
Location: Philippines
Macro - Nudibranchia
Sea slugs. A subject popular with macro guys! (means naked gills) Flatworms allowed
Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
Cyerce Kikutarobabai, taken in Dauin using Tg with backscatter MF-1 with snoot at around 23 mteres.
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
This is a photo of a nudibranch, Trinchisea Yamasui. Taken in Anilao, Philippines.
Location: Philippines
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
Spawning,Godiva quadricolor on a thread of seaweed and eggs, the photo taken in a Phlegraean lagoon Bacoli Gulf of Naples
Location: Italy
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
Moray Eel
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
This is a photo of a yellow goby (Gobiodon Okinawae) found inside a beer bottle. Taken in Anilao, Philippines.
Location: Philippines
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro
This is a pink-eyed goby which usually hovers above finger corals and sometimes rests on it. They have beautiful pinkish/ reddish eyes which makes them very beautiful to photograph, tiny as they are. Taken in Anilao, Batangas.
Location: Philippines
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
I found this Armina nudibranch crawling on the sand soon as we descended for a dive in Anilao. I had enough time to get the shot that I wanted.
Location: Philippines
Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
Harlequin Shrimp
Location: Indonesia
Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
This is a photo of a Moray Eel trying to play with my camera. It was quite challenging getting a good distance photographing this fella as he seems to want to be closer to the lens. Taken in Puerto Galera, Philippines.
Location: Philippines
Sharks
Shots where sharks are the predominant subject. Sponsored by Stuart Cove's
Gold Medal Winner
Sharks
Great White at South Neptune Islands, South Australia
Location: Australia
Silver Medal Winner
Sharks
Curious Blue Shark near Fajal Island, Azores.
Nikon D80, Nikkor 10-24, ISO 100, f/8, 1/125, Ikelite housing with 2 Ikelite strobes.
Location: Portugal
Bronze Medal Winner
Sharks
“Imminence”
Just as imminent as the storm brewing in the background of this image, so the survival of many species relies on like-minded people who want to protect them! They have no voice and a big shout out to all that make their plight heard!
Location: South Africa
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
Mirror of light
River diving in Vallemaggia, Ticino, Switzerland
Location: Switzerland
Silver Medal Winner
Freshwater
Verzasca River
Location: Switzerland
Bronze Medal Winner
Freshwater
Minediving Nuttlar Germany
Location: Germany
Fashion
Underwater Fashion Photography, Trash the Dress, Wedding and Couple shots and any other shot with models underwater
Gold Medal Winner
Fashion
Image shot in a pool in Bora Bora, non professional model Sofia who did very well evolving below the surface. No strobes while testing our new Kraken LEDs.
Location: French Polynesia
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)
Hymenocera picta. Inspired by the work of Stefano Scortegagna (the boxer crab and anemon fish with twirling light)
Location: Indonesia
Silver Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
"Grass Famine" part of my Underwater Surrealism body of work. Image is referencing the disappearance of manatee's food source in Florida.
Location: United States