The winners of the 2019 Underwater Photographer of the Year have been announced.
The winning image, titled “The Gauntlet,” features a swarm of grey reef sharks preying on a hapless Parrotfish at night of the reefs of French Polynesia, and was shot by British photographer Richard Barnden.
Renowned underwater photographer Alex Mustard MBE, who chaired the judging panel, stated:
“Photography is about preserving moments and what an unforgettable instant this is. Using a wide angle lens, the photographer takes us into the full drama of the hunt, as a melee of grey reef sharks rise like a breaking wave to tear apart their prey, truly revealing the ocean’s wilder side.”
The winners in the main categories for 2019 are:
- Underwater Photographer of the Year: Richard Barnden, UK.
- British Underwater Photographer of the Year: Richard Barnden, UK.
- Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year: Eduardo Acevedo, Spain.
- Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year: Taeyup Kim,
- Most Promising British Underwater Photographer Of The Year: Malcolm Nimmo, UK.
Other winners this year include:
- Wide Angle: François Baelen (Reunion).
- Macro: Fabio Iardino (Italy).
- Wrecks: René B. Andersen (Denmark).
- Behaviour: Richard Barnden (United Kingdom).
- Portrait: Nicholas Samaras (Greece).
- Black & White: Henley Spiers (Philippines).
- Compact: Enrico Somogyi (Germany).
- British Waters Wide Angle: Robert Bailey (United Kingdom).
- British Waters Macro: Arthur Kingdon (United Kingdom).
- British Waters Living Together: Victoria Walker (United Kingdom).
- British Waters Compact: Martin Edser (United Kingdom).
You can download the Underwater Photographer of the Year yearbook here.
(Photo credit: Richard Barnden)
