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2022/23 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.

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 2022/23
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 2022/23 World Champion is...

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

shots that cross the surface boundary (so under/overs like Snells Window too)

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Gold Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)

Split of diver taken at the HMAS Protector, Heron Island

Location: Australia

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Silver Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)

Fish soup in a mountain lake in Austria.

Location: Austria

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Bronze Medal Winner
Over/Under (shots half topside, half U/W)

Cœur de grotte <3

Location: France

Wide Angle - Wrecks

anything man-made that is sunk including cars, tanks, planes etc. - oh and ships!

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Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks
profile Christian Llewellyn United Kingdom

Location: THE CHRISOULA K Olympus OMD-EM5, Nauticam Housing Inon z240 x2 Copyright all Rights reserved. Mandatory credit with image use: © 2022 Christian Llewellyn.

Location: Egypt

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Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks

Shot is taken in Egypt on the Ghianis D

Location: Egypt

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Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Wrecks

On a dive of the U455 (92-118m depth) I saw at 101m depth a very big Molamola. The picture shows a nice fish using the wreck as protection to hide a little bit.

Location: Italy

Wide Angle - Divers

Divers doing what divers do - underwater or on the surface

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Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers

Cenote Maravilla, Hell's Bells. The Hells Bells are Biothems that appear to have formed through incompletely understood complex interplays between water of the cave, microorganisms living in the cave, and the surface of them.

Location: Mexico

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Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Divers

This picture is taken in the Felicitas Slate mine in Germany. An underwater museum

Location: Germany

Wide Angle - Marine Life

wide angle shots with no divers in frame

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Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life

goliath grouper youning,

Location: Cuba

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Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life
profile Johnny Matthews United States

Threes Company

Location: United States

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Bronze Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Marine Life

Feeding Manta in South Ari Atoll, Maldives

Location: Maldives

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

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Gold Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus

Tasty pastry. Elegant and colorful jelly fish, El Quseir, Egypte. Nikon D80 with Ikelite housing and two Ikelite strobes. Tamron SP-AF 17-50, 17mm, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/60.

Location: Egypt

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Silver Medal Winner
Wide Angle - Close Focus

Giant Australian Cuttlefish taken at Whyalla, South Australia during their annual breeding migration.

Location: Australia

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)

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Gold Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming

Three-headed eel

Location: Philippines

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Silver Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming

Pike

Location: Puerto Rico

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Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - not swimming

This small pipefish lives in the Netherlands in 'het Grevelingenmeer'.

Location: Netherlands

Runner Ups
Macro - not swimming

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)

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Gold Medal Winner
Macro - swimming

This is a photo of a fish in a jellyfish, hiding from predators. Taken in Anilao, Philippines during one of our blackwater dives.

Location: Philippines

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Silver Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
profile Magali Marquez Puerto Rico

Coconut Octopus in his little plastic house.

Location: Philippines

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Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - swimming
profile Regie Casia Philippines

Dinner time

Location: Philippines

Macro - Nudibranchia

Sea slugs. A subject popular with macro guys! (means naked gills) Flatworms allowed

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Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia
profile Glenn Carballo Philippines

Cyerce Kikutarobabai, taken in Dauin using Tg with backscatter MF-1 with snoot at around 23 mteres.

Location: Philippines

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Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia

This is a photo of a nudibranch, Trinchisea Yamasui. Taken in Anilao, Philippines.

Location: Philippines

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Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Nudibranchia

Spawning,Godiva quadricolor on a thread of seaweed and eggs, the photo taken in a Phlegraean lagoon Bacoli Gulf of Naples

Location: Italy

Runner Ups
Macro - Nudibranchia

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)

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Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro

Moray Eel

Location: Philippines

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Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro

This is a photo of a yellow goby (Gobiodon Okinawae) found inside a beer bottle. Taken in Anilao, Philippines.

Location: Philippines

Bronze.png

Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Super macro

This is a pink-eyed goby which usually hovers above finger corals and sometimes rests on it. They have beautiful pinkish/ reddish eyes which makes them very beautiful to photograph, tiny as they are. Taken in Anilao, Batangas.

Location: Philippines

Runner Ups
Macro - Super macro

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

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Gold Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up

I found this Armina nudibranch crawling on the sand soon as we descended for a dive in Anilao. I had enough time to get the shot that I wanted.

Location: Philippines

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Silver Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up
profile Jeffrey Lim Philippines

Harlequin Shrimp

Location: Indonesia

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Bronze Medal Winner
Macro - Close-Up

This is a photo of a Moray Eel trying to play with my camera. It was quite challenging getting a good distance photographing this fella as he seems to want to be closer to the lens. Taken in Puerto Galera, Philippines.

Location: Philippines

Sharks

Shots where sharks are the predominant subject. Sponsored by Stuart Cove's

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Gold Medal Winner
Sharks

Great White at South Neptune Islands, South Australia

Location: Australia

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Silver Medal Winner
Sharks

Curious Blue Shark near Fajal Island, Azores. Nikon D80, Nikkor 10-24, ISO 100, f/8, 1/125, Ikelite housing with 2 Ikelite strobes.

Location: Portugal

Bronze.png

Bronze Medal Winner
Sharks
profile Allen Walker South Africa

“Imminence” Just as imminent as the storm brewing in the background of this image, so the survival of many species relies on like-minded people who want to protect them! They have no voice and a big shout out to all that make their plight heard!

Location: South Africa

Freshwater

shots taken bodies of water with no salt e.g. in lakes, streams, pools, rivers i.e NOT the Sea!

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Gold Medal Winner
Freshwater

Mirror of light River diving in Vallemaggia, Ticino, Switzerland

Location: Switzerland

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Silver Medal Winner
Freshwater

Verzasca River

Location: Switzerland

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Bronze Medal Winner
Freshwater

Minediving Nuttlar Germany

Location: Germany

Fashion

Underwater Fashion Photography, Trash the Dress, Wedding and Couple shots and any other shot with models underwater

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Gold Medal Winner
Fashion
profile Stephan Debelle French Polynesia

Image shot in a pool in Bora Bora, non professional model Sofia who did very well evolving below the surface. No strobes while testing our new Kraken LEDs.

Location: French Polynesia

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

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Gold Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)

Hymenocera picta. Inspired by the work of Stefano Scortegagna (the boxer crab and anemon fish with twirling light)

Location: Indonesia

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Silver Medal Winner
Creative - Manipulated (Photoshopped)
profile Conor Culver United States

"Grass Famine" part of my Underwater Surrealism body of work. Image is referencing the disappearance of manatee's food source in Florida.

Location: United States



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Previous year's winners


Remember, if you don't enter you won't win!