Hotshots are contest entries judged to be the best images entered in any particular month.

To get into the monthly hotshots means that an entry is in the top 5%. Getting placed in the hotshots is therefore a great honor. It declares that you have succeeded in a very competitive environment against the top talent of the moment! It is also an important indicator because many of the annual awards go to hotshots.

The number shown next to the names below is the person's count of hotshot images. This is determined by being the most voted for from the monthly site moderators' shortlisting (and/or by being commented on by the editor). The public (people's) vote has no influence on this. The hotshot list should not be construed as a definitive ranking of the individuals named.

Tip: If you are a logged-in member you can see beside each name on this and other contest pages which, when you mouseover, pops up more vital statistics. Those stats may give you a better picture of individual standing by cross referencing volume of entries with other metrics. For example someone may enter fewer images but get a higher average number of shortlists per image i.e. a higher standard of consistency. 

N.B. 'All-time' means entries entered since the contest started, otherwise the time period is this year. 'Placed' means that the hotshot was placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or runner up.

for more stats see... Underwater Photography Hall of Fame or checkout image stats .