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Ocean Art Contest Announces the Best Underwater Photos of the Year
The prestigious Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, organized by the Underwater Photography Guide, has announced its 2018 winners.
The seventh annual competition attracted a very high calibre of photographs taken in waters from around the world, with 2018 being the most competitive year in the competition's history. Sixteen different categories allowed photographers of all levels and disciplines to enter, with categories including compact, mirrorless, and DSLR cameras. A new category for 'Underwater Art' was also added for 2018.
The images from this year's competition included an exceptional variety of fish and marine life shots, rarely seen animal behaviour, innovative shooting techniques, stunning portraits and dramatic encounters between humans and marine life. Thousands of images from photographers spread across 70 countries were evaluated by the judges, which included Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and the Underwater Photography Guide's publisher, Scott Gietler. Over $80,000 worth of prizes will be awarded to the winners, including dive trips with some of the most prestigious and liveaboards and dive resorts in the world.
'This year’s outstanding underwater images in the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition continue to raise the bar for underwater photographers,' said Scott Gietler. 'Myself and the other three judges were honoured to be viewing such amazing results of the dedication and drive of the human spirit.'
Best of Show | Duncan Murrell
Courting Devil Ray Ballet
Wide-Angle | François Baelen
Gentle Giants
Macro | Jeff Milisen
Sharp Eared Enope Squid
Portrait | Claudio Zori
Chimaera
Coldwater | Greg Lecoeur
Grey Seal Face
Nudibranchs | Flavio Vailati
Inside the Eggs
Super Macro | Edison So
Hairy Flames
Reefscapes | Yen-Yi Lee
Mangrove
Novice DSLR | Alvin Cheung
Special Encounter
Mirrorless Wide-Angle | Eugene Kitsios
Atlantic Spotted Dolphins
Mirrorless Macro | Steven Walsh
Baby Seahorses
Mirrorless Behavior | Fabrice Dudenhofer
My Babies
Compact Wide-Angle | Melody Chuang
Dancing Jellyfish
Compact Macro | Sejung Jang
Hairy Shrimp
Compact Marine Life Behavior | PT Hirschfield
Cannibal Crab
Underwater Art | Bruno Van Saen
Disco Nudi
A full list of the winning photographs, runners-up and honourable mentions can be viewed on the Underwater Photography Guide 2018 Winners Page. The Underwater Photography Guide website also includes tutorials, technique tips, in-depth gear reviews, international workshops and all the latest underwater photography news. For more information, visit www.uwphotographyguide.com
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