The 2023 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, the 12th iteration of the annual contest, has announced it is accepting entries from now until 30 November, 2023.
The Underwater Photography Guide says that this year’s Ocean Art competition features more than $110,000 worth of prizes – the highest amount it has ever offered – making it one of the world’s largest and most prestigious underwater photography contests.
Attracting both professional and amateur photographers from around the globe, the competition’s fourteen categories – two of which are new for 2023 – help to ensure that all photo disciplines and cameras are given a fair chance at competing.
The categories include Wide Angle, Macro, Marine Life Behavior and three corresponding compact camera categories; Black & White, Marine Life Portrait, Cold/Temperate Water, Blackwater, Underwater Conservation, and Nudibranchs.
This year, the original Underwater Art category has been split into Underwater Digital Art, and Underwater Fashion – two very different art forms which will be given complete freedom in post-processing.
The 50+ winning images will be used to create a portfolio of the best underwater photos of the year.
Ocean Art prizes are provided by some of the world’s top scuba diving resorts, liveaboards, and underwater photo gear manufacturers.
This year’s Grand prizes include:
- A liveaboard dive cruise on the MY Oceanic in Komodo, Flores, Alor, or the Banda Sea;
- A liveaboard dive cruise on the SMY Ondina in Raja Ampat, North Banda Sea, Triton Bay, Halmahera, or Cenderawasih Bay;
- 10-night liveaboard dive trip aboard the Damai I or Damai II in Indonesia
- 7-night dive package for two at Alami Alor Dive Resort in Alor, Indonesia;
- 14-night dive package at the new White Sands Beach Resort in Lembeh with Eco Divers;
- 7-night liveaboard diving package in Palau aboard the Solitude One;
- 7-night stay in Papua New Guinea with Walindi Plantation Resort;
- 7-day, 16-dive adventure for two in Raja Ampat with Meridian Adventure;
- 7-night liveaboard dive trip with Bilikiki Cruises in the Solomon Islands;
- 10-day dive trip with Mermaid Liveaboards in Bali & Komodo;
- 7-night dive package to Truk Lagoon with Master Liveaboards;
- 8-night all-inclusive dive package in Bohol, Philippines with Magic Oceans Dive Resort;
- 4-night dive package at the Solitude Lembeh Dive Resort in Lembeh, Indonesia;
- Two Sea & Sea YS-D3 Duo strobes; an Ikelite DS 230 Strobe with a modelling light;
- 15 bottles of Li Lé Blue Watersports Hair Care for Divers;
- A variety of gift certificates from Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel.
Other Premium travel prizes will be provided by El Galleon/Asia Divers (Philippines), Explorer Ventures Fleet (Turks & Caicos), Andean Travel Company (Galapagos), Villa Markisa (Bali, Indonesia), Anthony’s Key Resort (Roatan, Honduras), Kusu Island Resort (Kusu Island, Indonesia), Luxury Yacht Maldives (Maldives), Tawali Leisure & Dive Resort (Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea), Crystal Blue Dive Resort (Anilao, Philippines), Atmosphere Resorts & Spa (Dumaguete, Philippines), Aiyanar Beach & Dive Resort (Anilao, Philippines), Presidente Intercontinental Hotel (Cozumel, Mexico), Spice Island Divers (Ambon, Indonesia), Sea Saba (Saba, Caribbean), Avalon Outdoor (Cuba) Eco Pro Divers (Maldives), and Mexico Liveaboards (Baja California, Mexico).
Winners from each category will be able to rank the prizes they would like to receive, making it more likely that each winner will receive a prize they most desire.
Judges include world-renowned underwater photographers Tony Wu, Marty Snyderman, and Mark Strickland. Marty Snyderman is an Emmy winner with work appearing in top publications such as National Geographic; Tony Wu is a renowned underwater photographer and author of Silent Symphony; and Mark Strickland is a published author, award-winning underwater photographer, and photo specialist at Bluewater Photo.
Photos must be submitted before the deadline of 23:59pm (PST) on 30 November, 2023.
Information and the entry portal can be found on the Underwater Photography Guide’s Ocean Art Photo Competition page at
