Water-loving shutterbugs take note: The Ocean Art underwater photography competition today began taking submissions for its sixth annual iteration, with a new category and more than US$75,000/66,354 Euros in prizes.
The Underwater Photography Guide, which runs the competition, will be accepting images through November 22, 2016.
The competition now has 16 categories: a Novice DSLR category, three compact camera categories and three mirrorless camera categories, as well as Supermacro, Cold/Temperate Water and Nudibranches, along with the more traditional categories including Wide-Angle, Macro, Marine Life Portraits and Marine Life Behavior. The Pool/Conceptual category encourages creativity in post-processing.
The newest category this year is Reefscapes, offering a $1,000/884 Euro underwater photo gear shopping spree as its grand prize.
More than 35 scuba diving resorts, liveaboard dive yachts, and underwater photo gear manufacturers will be providing Ocean Art prizes. Grand prizes are a choice of an Indonesia liveaboard itinerary on the S.M.Y. Ondina, a 10-night Cocos Island liveaboard trip with the Undersea Hunter Group, a seven-night liveaboard trip on the Palau Siren, a seven-night Solomon Islands liveaboard trip with Bilikiki Cruises, a 10-night dive package at Lissenung Island Resort in Papua New Guinea, a five-night dive package for two at Siladen Resort & Spa in Indonesia, a seven-night dive package for two at Atmosphere Resort & Spa in the Philippines, and a variety of gift certificates from Bluewater Photo.
Premium travel prizes will be provided by VoliVoli Beach Resort (Fiji), Critters@Lembeh / Murex Dive Resorts (Indonesia), Tawali Dive Resort (Papua New Guinea), Villa Markisa Resort (Indonesia), Atlantis Dive Resort (Philippines), Paradise Taveuni (Fiji), Aiyanar Beach and Dive Resort (Philippines), Wananavu Beach Resort (Fiji), Crystal Blue Resort (Philippines), Mike Ball Dive Expeditions (Australia), Alor Divers (Indonesia), El Galleon Beach Resort (Philippines), Aquamarine Diving and the Watergarden Hotel (Indonesia), Maluku Divers (Indonesia), Nautilus Explorer/Belle Amie (Mexico), Eco Divers Resort Lembeh (Indonesia), Scuba Club Cozumel (Mexico), Manta Bay Ray / Yap Divers (Micronesia), Scuba Seraya (Indonesia), and scuba travel agency Bluewater Travel.
Premium gear prizes will be provided by I-Torch, SEA&SEA, the nonprofit Reef Check Foundation, Ikelite, ReefNet SubSee, BARE Sports, and Ultralight Control Systems.
Winners from each category will be able to rank the liveaboard, resort and gear prizes they would like to receive, making it more likely they will win the prize they really want.
Four experienced underwater photography judges will referee the competition: Tony Wu, author of “Silent Symphony”; Martin Edge, author of “The Underwater Photographer”; Marty Snyderman, an Emmy winner with work appearing in publications like National Geographic; and Scott Gietler, owner of Bluewater Photo, Bluewater Travel and the Underwater Photography Guide.
Photos are due by 11:59PM Pacific Time on November 22, 2016.
For more information, go to the Underwater Photography Guide website, or check out the guide’s Facebook page. You can also check out the guide’s Instagram and Twitter accounts.
