By DIVE Staff
The Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023 contest has officially opened for entries until 7 January 2023. Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading underwater photography competitions, thousands of entries are submitted each year, with winners showcased throughout the world’s media.
Last year’s competition was won by Rafael Fernandez Caballero with his nocturnal photo of a gathering of whale sharks ‘Giants Of The Night’, despite taking place before glopbal pandemic restrictions had lifted.
‘The previous edition of UPY taught us that restrictions on travel may have stopped many photographers visiting their favourite waters, but it didn’t stifle their creativity,’ said Chair of the judges, Alex Mustard said. ‘Our entrants showed us how diverse underwater photographs can be, from swimming pools, underwater mines, deep shipwrecks and ocean wildlife spectacles.
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‘The last 12 months has seen travel reopen and we are excited to see what images have been captured, especially with photographers returning to work with subjects dear to them,’ Mustard added.
A new addition to the contest for 2023 is the sponsorship of equipment manufacturer Marelux, which this year will provide the competition’s largest ever cash prizes for the top three places in both the Wide Angle and Macro categories. ‘We are delighted to be supporting a contest that is so highly regarded by the underwater photography community,’ said Jun Ouyang from Marelux said. ‘Best of luck to all the photographers, we cannot wait to see the stunning winning images/’
The Underwater Photographer of the Year competition has been an annual event since 1965, when British photographer, Phil Smith, received its first award. It has since expanded to an international event with 13 categories, including Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour, Wreck and Conservation photography, as well as four categories for photos taken specifically in British waters.
The experienced judging panel consists of photographers Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich and Alex Mustard, who will reconvene as an in-person panel for the first time since 2019.
Rafael Fernandez Caballero from Spain was named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022, with his entry ‘Giants of the Night, which features five whale sharks feeding together under the lights of a boat. ‘It was already incredible when one whale shark came to our boat,’ said Fernandez, ‘but more and more kept arriving. I was diving with Gador Muntaner, a shark researcher, who couldn’t believe it as their numbers grew. He counted 11 sharks that night – a once in a lifetime encounter that nobody thought was possible.’
Competition judge, Peter Rowlands, said, ‘this image took my breath away from the first viewing and I never tired coming back to it. Scale, light and the sheer numbers of big subjects, this was, by some distance, our winning image.’
The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK, and Matty Smith, an Englishman now living in Australia, was named as British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022 for his portrait of a great white shark taken in the Neptune Islands, South Australia. ‘I had wanted to shoot a charismatic over/under portrait for years,’ said Smith. ‘Some techniques I had previously tried failed terribly, so this time I designed and constructed my own equipment to get the camera exactly where I wanted.’
Competition judge, Tobias Friedrich said ‘this split shot of the most famous fish in the sea, truly captures its character. An excellent reward for the perseverance of the photographer, experimenting with different techniques until he got the result he wanted.’
Thien Nguyen Ngoc from the Vietnam was named the ‘Save Our Seas Foundation” Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2022 for his aerial photo ‘Big Appetite’, which shows two boats straining the waters for anchovies in the Phu Yen province of his country. ‘Salted anchovy is the most important raw material in traditional Vietnamese fish sauce,’ said Nguyen. ‘But these little fish are also a keystone of a natural ecosystem. When they are overfished, the whales, tunas, sea birds and other marine predators face starvation and critical population declines.’
Competition judge Peter Rowlands said ‘a stark visual reminder of man’s reach and control over the surrounding habitat and its devastating effect on the natural balance.’
Quico Abadal, from Spain, was named as Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2022 for his creative image ‘Supernova In Paradise’, taken at sunset off Sairee Beach, Koh Tao, Thailand. ‘This photo features Jeniya, who moves so poetically in the water,’ said explained Abadal. ‘What I like about this photograph is the imperfection of backscatter in the dark water, creating the feeling of outer space and making it perfect to me.’
‘In this category we are always looking for exciting new talent bringing fresh visions to underwater photography,’ said Alex Mustard. ‘This image is a fabulous example. Simple subject matter, elevated into an artistic image by the imagination, ideas and talent of the photographer and model.’
For more information or to enter the competition, head to underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com
