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Underwater Photo Medal Winners 2010/11   

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You are looking at two year's ago winners. This years winners are only available to (logged in) members. The official public announcement is in May. either join, login or wait!

2010/11 Medal Winners


medal
Winners medal
Winning here (or even just being placed) is Underwater Photography's most coveted accolade because it says you succeeded in the most competitive environment there is, against the top talent of the moment.

Every year a panel of judges select the best images entered in our online photo contest from the previous year. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded for the top three from each category in order of merit.

The judges comprise of industry professionals, previous year's World Champions, our site moderators - anyone we can rope in! They are unpaid, non-affiliated, and (of course) cannot vote for themselves.

Winners are announced to the Press at the end of May

You may not agree with the judges. You may think you have 'better shots' at home - prove it! Enter this year's contest.


World Champion 2010/11
The judges award the photographer who submits the most consistent and complete portfolio over the year World Champion. Other photographers of distinction are awarded Grand Master.

winnerThe overall 2010/11 World Champion is...
The UnderwaterPhotography.com photo course collection
click here to buy the book		See the best images from the last 10 years of the contest in all their glory in...
The UnderwaterPhotography.com photo course collection
120 full color pages


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Topside (above water but marine related)

shots above the surface. Can be on land but with relevance to the marine environment
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Feeling sleepy ? In the Galapagos all the animals are unafraid and come very close to people. This little sea lion was tired of resting on the rocks so thought nothing of using one of the sun loungers instead !!!
Jackie Campbell
Ireland
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Ice boat ... it was quite cold last week in Switzerland.
Raoul Caprez
Switzerland
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Eastern Fields reef from the surface
Julian Cohen
Singapore
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Clear Ice of the lake Bajkal
Sergiy Glushchenko
Ukraine
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Plow shell on the move
Tony Makin
South Africa
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Sunset...cable beach.....This place gets some of the most spectacular sunsets that I have ever seen. Life's a beach and then you....dive :)
Jackie Campbell
Ireland
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
     
Underwater Photo course

Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)

shots that cross the surface boundary (so under/overs like Snells Window too)
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Six foot
Tony Makin
South Africa
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Another beautiful day to be a turtle in Hawaii.
Stuart Ganz
United States
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Lions mane jelly. Shot using a port extension I constructed myself for around £20. Canon G11, Canon housing, ys110 strobe under.
Tom Ashton
United Kingdom
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Sirenes-2
Sergiy Glushchenko
Ukraine
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Grab my camera please!
Julian Cohen
Singapore
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course

Macro - not swimming

Smaller subjects typically 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5cm) shot on macro settings or with macro equipment that are NOT MOVING usually on the bottom (i.e. between 1:1 and 1:3)
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Harlequin shrimp
Aleksandr Marinicev
Latvia
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 A goldentail moray getting real up close and personal at Invisibles, Bonaire. Nikon D300 in Nexus housing, 2z Inon Z-240 strobes.
Christian Skauge
Norway
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 white & red
Enje Im
Korea, Republic of
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Hey...what´s up ???
Dave Benz
Germany
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Goby
Bruno Van Saen
Belgium
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course

Macro - swimming

Smaller subjects typically 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5cm) shot on macro settings or with macro equipment that are in MID WATER not touching anything (i.e. between 1:1 and 1:3)
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Juvenile Squid in tight frame ( I followed Jackie C's advice..thanks, Jackie ).
Rico Besserdich
Turkey
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Yellow baby boxfish
Els Van Den Borre
Belgium
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Plectorhincus vittatus
Alex Varani
Italy
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
     
Underwater Photo course

Wide Angle - Wrecks

anything man-made that is sunk including cars, tanks, planes etc. - oh and ships!
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Evelio exploring the wreck.
Abimael Márquez
Puerto Rico
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Prop of the Monem Wreck in Cesme. It turns out that my model was not the only one posing for thşs shot :) Nikon D200+Sigma 15mm Fisheye with YS110 Strobe connected via TTL converter.
Andre Yanco
Turkey
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 P29 Patrol boat in 36metres Taken with an Olympus 5000z F2.8 1/125 ISO 160
Ian Palmer
United Kingdom
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Exploring the wreck of " Cedar Pride" in Gulf of Aqaba.
Alberto Romeo
Italy
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Using my new Tokina lens. I found out that I can basically get any full wreck in one shot - not bad.
Roine Gabrielsson
Sweden
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 R2D2....the most famous air compressor in the world !! Canon Ixus 100, single inon D2000 strobe.
Jackie Campbell
Ireland
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
     
Underwater Photo course

Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe)

shots taken using ambient light i.e. unlit by flash or continuous lighting like HID but filters on the lens are allowed if declared
click to zoomclick images to zoom
divers and crystal water...a dream
Cipriano (ripli) Gonzalez
Spain
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Minke Whale
Steffen Binke
Australia
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 sea lion backlight
José Augusto Silva
Portugal
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
The Freediver CANON 40D, Ike Housing, Sigma 10-20mm lens, no strobe
Rico Besserdich
Turkey
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Yawning Frog Fish - standard Canon, no lenses, no strobes, no flash, no photoshop...NO CROPPING!
Tim Ho
Malaysia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 I love this spanish dancer...
Dave Benz
Germany
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
The most friendly turttle i've ever seen
Els Van Den Borre
Belgium
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		    
Underwater Photo course

Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)

Shots that have been digitally edited outside of the camera for creative reasons (not brightness/contrast etc.) in a program like PhotoShop
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Fun with Photoshop #2. Original shot from Anilao, Philippines. A year without doing much diving meant time for photoshop.
Stephen Holinski
Canada
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 sky, earth, water
Paola Pallocci
Italy
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Dangerzone !!! Fiercelooking animals. However the homo sapiens is probably the more fearsome. Animals shot in Egypt, Tenerife, Indonesia and the Maldives. The diver is my wife (not fearsome :-) ). The background is Palm Mar cave on Tenerife.
Christian Nielsen
Denmark
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
" speeeed " new high speed record: This gurnad was flashed by radar control [68mph] :)
Roland Bach
Spain
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 matador
Heru Suryoko
Indonesia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 dive with a simile II
Thomas Lueken
Germany
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
     
Underwater Photo course

Wide Angle - Divers

Divers doing what divers do - underwater or on the surface
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Fashion & nudity
Patrick Neumann
Germany
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Say "Cheese" Researcher takes a family portrait
Arun Madisetti
Dominica
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Swimming pool session. Reflections and colors are real - not photoshopped. Minor adjustments to levels and saturation.
Vladimir Levantovsky
United States
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
A young boy free diving from his dug out canoe with home made wooden googles..
Burak Dedeler
Turkey
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 baby flight
Patrick Neumann
Germany
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Nikon D2Xs, Zoom f4/12-24 mm, Seacam Housing w. Seacam Seaflsh 150 TTL (manual setting) and Seacam Mini 100 (manual setting); 1/125 s, f13, ISO 200. Model: Leda
Frank Schneider
Germany
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
     
Underwater Photo course

Wide Angle - Marine Life

wide angle shots with no divers in frame
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Hammerhead, Galapagos, up close!
Michael Gallagher
Australia
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Point me in the RIGHT direction!!
Allen Walker
South Africa
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 So big, so gentle... Cruising whale shark. Nikon D300+10.5 mm fisheye. Cropped and color adjusted.
Mehmet Demirkan
Turkey
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Southern Stingray taken his NAP, thanks to Nicolai Ruprechter show us. Nikon D80 with 15mm lens.
Pedro Padilla
Puerto Rico
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Sea Lion, Galapagos
Aleksandr Marinicev
Latvia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course

Freshwater

shots taken bodies of water with no salt e.g. in lakes, streams, pools, rivers i.e NOT the Sea!
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Posta Fibreno Lake Italy
Marco Bartolomucci
Italy
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 UNDERWATER BEAUTY EDITORIAL for WIENERIN MAGAZINE - promotion for waterproof makeup see more on www.susannestemmer.com
Susanne Stemmer
Austria
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 chac Mool cenote kukulcan Room
Juan Cardona
Mexico
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Divers in Silfra, Iceland. Melted glacierwater, many years of filtering through lavarock, resulting in the clearest water you have ever seen.
Rob De Vries
Netherlands
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 ..under water
Veronika Matějková
Czech Republic
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Sockeye salmon.British Columbia, Canada
Robert Polo
Canada
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
     
Underwater Photo course

Temperate Waters

Seas with green water well north or south of tropical zones typically cold enough for drysuits!
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Lumpsucker - Male Dancing in front of my domeport
Jorn Ari
Denmark
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Lingcod, Vancouver, Canada Nikon D200, 10.5 mm
Robert Polo
Canada
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Harbour seal. Canon ixus 980.
Bea & Stef Primatesta
Switzerland
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Weedy Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) at Flinders Pier, Victoria. From this angle it looks like it would make a good catapault. ;-)
Brian Mayes
United Kingdom
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Tompot Blenny from Swanage Pier, UK. Finally getting time to do a spot of UK diving and was really proud to conquer my dream of snapping one of these chappies! Canon 980 with Canon Housing, Macro Mode and Camera's own flash
Maria Munn
United Kingdom
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course

Macro - Nudibranchia

Sea slugs. A subject popular with macro guys! (means naked gills) Flatworms allowed
click to zoomclick images to zoom
I like the colours...
Dave Benz
Germany
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 "Naked Gills" Nikon F90X with 105mm Macro Lens and +2 Diopter and wet diopter
Brian Welman
South Africa
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Nembrotha lineolata on golden sea squirt (Polycarpa aurata)
Alan Lyall
United Kingdom
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Chromodoris williani-Lembeh
Richard Goluch
United States
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Glossodoris Cinta
Charles Wright
South Africa
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Over the hill! Image captured with Canon G9, Ikelite Housing and Inon Z240 strobe.
Greg Win
New Zealand
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
the circle
Patrick Neumann
Germany
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Get a room!!! Nudibranchs mating, Komodo, Indonesia. Any help identifying which species of nudibranch much appreciated - hypselodoris bullocki perhaps??
Michael Gallagher
Australia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course

Macro - Super macro

Shots taken (at smaller than 1:1) with multiple extension rings, diopters, or teleconverters of extremely small subjects typically less than 1 inch (2.5 cm)
click to zoomclick images to zoom
"OK, I'm ready for my close up." .................Tiny 15mm Western Cleaner Clingfish (Cochleoceps bicolor)
Brian Mayes
United Kingdom
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Picture taken at only 5 meters of depth. It took me a long time to take the right shot but I'm very, very happy with the result!!
Bruno Van Saen
Belgium
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 "tentacles" Tentacles of a luminescent jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca )
Roland Bach
Spain
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Porcelain Crab (Porcellanella sp.) on the underside base of a black feather star.
Brian Mayes
United Kingdom
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 We have antennas! Two small gobies with parasites attached, probably to their stomachs.
Burak Dedeler
Turkey
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 "Cup Coral's Portrait" from Kasai Village, Moalboal, Philippines (Olympus E-3, 50mm macro lens, 1,4x tele converter and close up lens)
Henry Jager
Switzerland
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
     
Underwater Photo course

Wide Angle - Close Focus

shots taken with a WIDE ANGLE (or fisheye) lens having 1) a well defined close subject (usually strobe-lit) AND 2) a wide angle BACKGROUND with a second subject, usually a diver
click to zoomclick images to zoom
CFWA. Wire Coral Goby & Diver
Nicholas Samaras
Greece
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 It took some time and trial to place the batfish in the background
Burak Dedeler
Turkey
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 This area had lots of big healthy beautiful elephant ear sponges, caught my buddy cruising over the top!
Lisa Hinderlider
United States
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
The red garden Nikon D200, 10,5mm nikon,twin strobo Wakatobi 2010
Marchione Giacomo
Italy
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 underwater Art...fellings
Juan Cardona
Mexico
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 La Bym
Arun Madisetti
Dominica
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
Lobster in the open, Cozumel 2010. Nikon D200, 10.5 mm
Robert Polo
Canada
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		    
Underwater Photo course

Macro - Close-Up

Shots taken of a subject between 3 inches and 1 foot (7.5 to 30cm) in size (e.g. large fish or diver head) that dominates the frame - any background is incidental and occupies LESS THAN 50% of frame
click to zoomclick images to zoom
Blu eyes Nikon D200, 60 micro, ywin strobo Lembeh 2010
Marchione Giacomo
Italy
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 Sand pipefish
Jagwang Koo
Korea, Republic of
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Seastar on night dive - Saudi Arabia - Canon S90 with hand torch light
Patrick Tutt
Switzerland
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
I lifted a metal plate and found this octopus looking after her eggs. Carefully put the plate back down, but discovered on subsequent dive 2 days later, some moron had turned the plate over and left it with eggs and octopus exposed to die. :-(
Brian Mayes
United Kingdom
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Trigger fish
Victor Tabernero
Spain
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Spiny Devil or Bearded Ghou
Aleksandr Marinicev
Latvia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up
Froggy - Padang Bai, Bali
Andy Chan
Indonesia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 Rockfish hideout
Robert Polo
Canada
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course

Sharks

Shots where sharks are the predominant subject. Sponsored by Stuart Cove's
click to zoomclick images to zoom
This image was taken while we waited for the arrival of Tiger Sharks. Very exciting dive! Lucky I was to watch the action.
Steven Anderson
United States
Gold Medal Gold Medal		 In the MIX!! Sorry about all the bubbles, just absolutely unavoidable...
Allen Walker
South Africa
Silver Medal Silver Medal		 Mako shark
Charles Wright
South Africa
Bronze Medal Bronze Medal
Kissing the dome ! Curious Longimanus at Daedalus Reef. Truly sad with the incidents in Sharm el Sheikh. Olympus E330, 8mm fisheye, 2 Ikelite DS125 strobes.
Christian Nielsen
Denmark
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		 30m Encounter with 'Lady Grace' the 3.5-4m tiger. Taken at Lake Reef in Fiji.
Sam Cahir
Australia
Runner Up - worthy of note but not a medal winner - an equal 4th place if you like! Runner Up		  
Underwater Photo course


The UnderwaterPhotography.com photo course collection
click here to buy the book		See the best images from the last 10 years of the contest in all their glory in...
The UnderwaterPhotography.com photo course collection
120 full color pages

Previous year's winners


Remember, if you don't enter you won't win!
Annual Medal Winners slide showSlide Show
how to win!
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Category Quick Navigation :::: Topside (above water but marine related) :::: Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W) :::: Macro - not swimming :::: Macro - swimming :::: Wide Angle - Wrecks :::: Wide Angle - Natural Light (no strobe) :::: Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped) :::: Wide Angle - Divers :::: Wide Angle - Marine Life :::: Freshwater :::: Temperate Waters :::: Macro - Nudibranchia :::: Macro - Super macro :::: Wide Angle - Close Focus :::: Macro - Close-Up :::: Sharks