2015 Ocean Art Contest Winners

Winning Images from the prestigious Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest
By UWPG News

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Wide-Angle
Macro
Cold Water
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Marine Life Behavior
Novice DSLR
Mirrorless Macro
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Nudibranchs
SuperMacro
Pool / Conceptual

 

Congratulations to the winners of the 2015 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition. We received many incredible entries and have awarded over $70,000 in prizes to the winning photographers.

Winners were asked to rank their prize choices and were awarded 1 prize based on totaling points from all their winning photos.

 

Special thanks to Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and Scott Gietler for judging the competition.

Take in inside look at the judging process & learn what the judges look for in our JUDGES' COMMENTS.

 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS

View list of winners' names

 

 - Click on photos for larger image, story behind the shot, gear & more -

 

 

Best of Show

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1st Place - Jeff Milisen

Best of Show - Jeff Milisen

Shot in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA with Canon T1i

Story of the Shot

 

 

Wide-Angle Category

Click photo to view full size

1st Place - Francesco Visintin

1st PlaceFrancesco Visintin 

Shot in Forte de Marmi, Tuscany, Italy with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot


2nd Place - Matteo Visconti

2nd PlaceMatteo Visconti

Shot in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea with Canon 5D Mark II

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place – Gregory Sherman

3rd Place - Gregory Sherman

Shot at San Benedicto Island, Archipielago Revillagigedo, Mexico with Canon 5D Mark III

Story of the Shot


4th Place - Alessandro Buzzichelli

4th Place - Alessandro Buzzichelli

Shot at Wai Island while scuba diving Raja AmpatIndonesia with Nikon D200

Story of the Shot


5th Place - Tanya Houppermans

5th Place - Tanya Houppermans

Shot off the coast of Morehead City, North Carolina, USA with Olympus OM-D E-M1

Story of the Shot

 

6th Place - Aldo Costa

6th Place - Aldo Costa

Story of the Shot

 

HM - Scott Portelli

Honorable Mention - Scott Portelli

Shot in Whyalla, South Australia with Canon 5D Mark III

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Greg Lecoeur

Honorable Mention - Greg Lecoeur

Shot in Moorea, French Polynesia with Nikon D7200

Story of the Shot

 

 

Macro Category

Click photo to view full size

1st Place - Jeff Milisen

1st Place - Jeff Milisen

Shot in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, USA with Canon T1i

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Marco Gargiulo

2nd Place - Marco Gargiulo

Shot in Sant'Angello, Naples, Italy with Nikon D800

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Lazaro Ruda

3rd Place - Lazaro Ruda

Shot in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA with Canon 7D

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Dennis Corpuz

4th Place - Dennis Corpuz

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Dennis Corpuz

5th Place - Dennis Corpuz

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot

 

6th Place - Alexander Franz

6th Place - Alexander Franz

Shot in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia with Nikon D7000

 Story of the Shot

 

HM - Richard Barnden

Honorable Mention - Richard Barnden

Shot while diving Palau with Nikon D800

Story of the Shot

 

HM - So Yat Wai

Honorable Mention - So Yat Wai

Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia with Canon 5D MkIII

Story of the Shot

 

 

Cold Water Category

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1st Place - Lill Haugen

1st Place - Lill Haugen

Shot in The Oslo Fjord, Norway with Nikon D300

Story of the Shot

 

2nd - Uwe Schmolke

2nd Place - Uwe Schmolke

Story of the Shot

 

3rd - Annika Persson

3rd Place - Annika Persson

Shot at Farnes Island, United Kingdom with Nikon D300

 Story of the Shot


4th Place - Jorgen Rasmussen

4th Place - Jorgen Rasmussen

Shot at Near Booth Island, Antarctica with Nikon D800E

 Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Morten Beier

5th Place - Morten Beier

Shot in Disco Bay, Greenland with Nikon D300

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Morten Beier

6th Place - Luc Rooman

Shot in Domein Muisbroek Ekeren, Belgium with Nikon D810

Story of the Shot


HM – Thomas Heckmann

Honorable Mention - Thomas Heckmann

Shot in the Dutch North Sea, Netherlands with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

HM - Matthew Tworkowski

Honorable MentionMatthew Tworkowski

Shot in Coles Bay, Tasmania, Australia with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot

 

 


Portrait Category

Click photo to view full size

1st Place – Greg LeCoeur

1st Place - Greg LeCoeur

Shot in Nice, France with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Peter Leopold

2nd Place - Peter Leopold

Shot in the Arctic Ocean with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot


3rd Place - Filippo Borghi

3rd Place - Filippo Borghi

Shot at Giannutri Island, Italy with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Claudio Contreras Koob

4th Place - Claudio Contreras Koob

Shot in Jardines de la Reina, Cuba with Canon 5D Mark II

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - David Salvatori

5th Place - David Salvatori

Shot in Sant'Agostino Lake, Italy with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

6th Place - Domenico Roscigno

6th Place - Domenico Roscigno

Shot in the Republic of Maldives Baa Atoll with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

HM - Qing Lin

Honorable MentionQing Lin

Shot at Cocos Island, Costa Rica with Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Story of the Shot

 

 

 

Marine Life Behavior

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1st Place - Steven Kovacs

1st Place - Steven Kovacs

Straited Frogfish, Shot at Blue Heron Bridgerx, Florida, U.S.A. with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot


2nd Place - Lureen Ferretti

2nd PlaceLureen Ferretti

Shot at the Blue Heron Bridge, Florida, U.S.A. with Canon Rebel T1i

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place – Greg Lecoeur

3rd Place - Greg Lecoeur

Shot in Port St Johns, South Africa with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Filippo Borghi

4th Place - Filippo Borghi

Shot at Giglio Island, Italy with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Elio Nicosia

5th Place - Elio Nicosia

Shot in Sicily, Italy with Nikon D810

Story of the Shot

 

6th Place - Ralph Pace

6th Place - Ralph Pace

Shot at the Nine Mile Bank, San Diego, California with 5D Mark II

Story of the Shot

 

Honorable Mention - Uwe Schmolke

Honorable Mention - Uwe Schmolke

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Cameron Azad

Honorable Mention - Cameron Azad

Shot in Puerto Galera/Sabang Harbor, Phillippines with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Richard Barnden

Honorable Mention Richard Barnden

Shot in Palau with Nikon D800

Story of the Shot

 

 

Novice DSLR

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1st Place - Irene Middleton

1st Place - Irene Middleton

Shot in Maroro Bay, New Zealand with Nikon D300

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Adam Martin

2nd Place Adam Martin

Shot at Daedalus Reef, Red Sea, Egypt with Canon 5D Mark III

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Roberto Strafella

3rd Place - Roberto Strafella

Shot in Taranto, Italy with Nikon D700

 Story of the Shot 

 

4th Place - Sergio Luiz Norueira Junior

4th Place - Sergio Nogueira Jr

Shot at Rocca Partida, Mexico with Canon 6D

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Lauric Thiault

5th Place - Lauric Thiault

Shot at La Vallée Blanche, Tahiti, French Polynesia with Nikon D800

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Linda See

Honorable Mention - Linda See

Shot at Banco Chinchorro, Mexico with Canon 5DS

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Ian Chow

Honorable MentionIan Chow

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon 6D

Story of the Shot

 

 

Mirrorless Macro

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1st Place - Simon Chiu

1st Place - Simon Chiu

Shot in Cebu, Philippines with Panasonic GF1

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Christian Gloor

2nd Place - Christian Gloor

Shot at Air Bajo III, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Alfonso Jesús Expósito Díaz-Álvarez

3rd Place - Alfonso Jesús Expósito Díaz-Álvarez

Shot in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M1

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Walter Bassi

4th Place - Walter Bassi

Shot in the Liguiria Sea, Italy with Olympus E-PL1

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place – Mirrorless Macro

5th Place - Maurizio Pasi

Shot in Manado, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M1

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Lynn Wu

Honorable Mention - Lynn Wu

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Olympus E-PL5

Story of the Shot

 

 

 

Mirrorless Behavior

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1st Place - Walter Bassi

1st Place - Walter Bassi

Shot in Capo Noli, Liguria Sea, Italy with Olympus E-PL1

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Lynn Wu

2nd Place - Lynn Wu

Shot on the Northeast Coast, Taiwan with Olympus E-PL5

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Cornelia Thieme

3rd Place - Cornelia Thieme

Shot in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Jim Catlin

4th Place - Jim Catlin

Shot at the Riviera Reef, Grand Cayman with Panasonic GX1

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Henley Spiers

5th Place - Henley Spiers

Shot in Anse Cochon, Saint Lucia with Olympus E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Yen Ngee Koh

Honorable Mention - Yen Ngee Koh

Shot in Tulamben, Bali with Olympus OM-D E-M1

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Lynn Wu

Honorable Mention - Lynn Wu

Shot in Pemuteran Bay, Bali, Indonesia with Olympus E-PL5

Story of the Shot

 

 

 

Mirrorless Wide-Angle

Click photo to view full size

1st place - Matthew Sullivan

1st Place - Matthew Sullivan

Shot in Montane Creek, Pennsylvania with Sony a6000

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Fabio Galbiati

2nd Place - Fabio Galbiati

Shot at Bangka Island, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot


3rd Place - Laura Tesler

3rd Place - Laura Tesler

Shot in Battle Ground Lake, Washington with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Adam Taylor

4th Place - Adam Taylor

Shot at Santa Barbara Island, California with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Tanasit Tancharoen

5th Place - Tanasit Tancharoen

Shot at Nusa Penida, Bali, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Cornelia Thieme

Honorable Mention  - Cornelia Thieme

Shot in Jellyfish Lake, Palau with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Daniel Copeland

Honorable Mention - Daniel Copeland

Shot in the Ras Mohammed National Park, Egyptian Red Sea with Panasonic GH4

Story of the Shot

 

 

Compact Macro Category

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1st Place - Alessandro Raho

1st Place - Alessandro Raho

Shot in Noli, Italy with Canon G16

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - ChenVui Soon

2nd Place - ChenVui Soon

Shot in Amed, Bali, Indonesia with Sony RX100

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Alessandro Raho

3rd Place - Alessandro Raho

Shot in Noli (SV) Italy with Canon G9

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Dennis Corpuz

4th Place - Dennis Corpuz

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon Powershot G15

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Giacomo Givannini

Honorable Mention – Giacomo Giovannini

Shot in Sistiana, Italy with Canon G12

Story of the Shot

 

 

Compact Behavior

Click photo to view full size

1st Place- Jack Berthomier

1st Place - Jack Berthomier

Shot in Ouemo Bay, Noumea, New Caledonia with Sony RX100

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Abimael Marquez

2nd Place - Abimael Marquez

Shot in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico with Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Jens Schultz

3rd Place - Jens Schultz

Shot in Ambon, Indonesia with Olympus Tough TG-2

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place – Massimo Giorgetta

4th Place - Massimo Giorgetta

Shot in the Lembeh Strait, Indonesia with Canon G12

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Stephen Holinski

Honorable Mention - Stephen Holinski

Shot at Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada with Sony RX-100

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Kiyoung Jang

Honorable Mention - Kiyoung Jang

Shot at Boracay island, Philippines with Olympus TG-3

Story of the Shot

 

 

Compact Wide-Angle

Click photo to view full size

1st Place - Brian Christiansen

1st Place - Brian Christiansen

Shot in Deshaies, Guadeloupe with Olympus TG-3

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Stephen Holinski

2nd Place - Stephen Holinski

Shot at Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada with Sony RX-100

Story of the Shot


3rd Place - Kate Rister

3rd Place - Kate Rister

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Steven Shoelson

4th Place - Steven Shoelson

Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia with Canon G11

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Sarah Stein

Honorable Mention - Sarah Stein Greenberg

Shot at Fernandina Island, while diving the Galapagos Islands with a Canon G16

 Story of the Shot

 

 

 

Nudibranchs

Click photo to view full size

1st Place - Roland Bach

1st Place - Roland Bach

Nudibranch Shot at Punta den Siulet, Minorca, Spain with Nikon D300

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Roland Bach

2nd Place - Roland Bach

Shot in Minorca, Spain with Nikon D300   

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Miguel Pereira

3rd Place - Miguel Pereira

Shot in Minorca, Spain with Nikon D300   

Story of the Shot


4th Place - Massimo Zannini 

4th Place - Massimo Zannini

Shot in Croazia, Adriatic Sea with Canon 60D

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Stefano Scortegagna

5th Place - Stefano Scortegagna

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D800E

Story of the Shot

 

 

Supermacro

Click photo to view full size

1st Place - So Yat Wai

1st  Place Supermacro - So Yat Wai

Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia with Canon 5D MkIII

 Story of the Shot 

 

2nd Place - Marco Fierli

2nd Place - Marco Fierli

Shot in South Sulawesi, Indonesia with Canon 5DMKIII

 Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Dennis Corpuz

3rd Place - Dennis Corpuz

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D7000

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Ludovic Galko-Rundgren

4th Place - Ludovic Galko-Rundgren

Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon 7D

 Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - So Yat Wai

5th Place - So Yat Wai

Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia with Canon 5D MkIII

Story of the Shot

 

HM – So Yat Wai

Honorable Mention - So Yat Wai

Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia with Canon 5D MkIII

Story of the Shot

 

 

Pool / Conceptual

Click photo to view full size

1st Place - Francesco Pacienza

1st Place - Francesco Pacienza

Shot in Apulia, Italy with Nikon D7100

Story of the Shot

 

2nd Place - Sarah Teveldal

2nd Place - Sarah Teveldal

Shot in Austin, Texas with Canon 5D Mark II

Story of the Shot

 

3rd Place - Dennis Vandermeersch

3rd Place - Dennis Vandermeersch

Shot in Florida, USA with Nikon D300

Story of the Shot

 

4th Place - Steffen Binke

4th Place - Steffen Binke

Shot in Queensland, Australia with Nikon D800

Story of the Shot

 

5th Place - Ken Kiefer

5th Place - Ken Kiefer

Shot in Bimini, Bahamas with Canon 5D Mark 3

Story of the Shot

 

HM – Uri Magnus Dotan

Honorable Mention - Uri Magnus Dotan

Shot in Eilat, Israel with Nikon D300s

Story of the Shot

 

 

Complete List of Winners

 

Best of Show

“Feeling Exposed” by Jeff Milisen

 

Wide-Angle

1st Place:  Francesco Visintin
2nd Place:  Matteo Visconti
3rd Place:  Gregory Sherman
4th Place:  Alessandro Buzzichelli
5th Place:  Tanya Houppermans
6th Place:  Aldo Costa
HM:  Scott Portelli
HM:  Greg Lecoeur

 

Macro

1st Place:  Jeff Milisen
2nd Place:  Marco Gargiulo
3rd Place:  Lazaro Ruda
4th Place:  Dennis Corpuz
5th Place:  Dennis Corpuz
6th Place:  Alexander Franz
HM:  Richard Barnden
HM:  So Yat Wai

 

Coldwater

1st Place:  Lill Haugen
2nd Place:  Uwe Schmolke
3rd Place:  Annika Persson
4th Place:  Jorgen Rasmussen
5th Place:  Morten Beier
6th Place:  Luc Rooman
HM:  Thomas Heckmann
HM:  Matthew Tworkowski

 

Portrait

1st Place:  Greg Lecoeur
2nd Place:  Peter Leopold
3rd Place:  Filippo Borghi
4th Place:  Claudio Contreras Koob
5th Place:  David Salvatori
6th Place:  Domenico Roscigno
HM:  Qing Lin

 

Marine Life Behavior

1st Place:  Steven Kovacs
2nd Place:  Lureen Ferretti
3rd Place:  Greg Lecoeur
4th Place:  Filippo Borghi
5th Place:  Elio Nicosia
6th Place:  Ralph Pace
HM:  Uwe Schmolke
HM:  Cameron Azad
HM:  Richard Barnden

 

Novice DSLR

1st Place:  Irene Middleton
2nd Place:  Adam Martin
3rd Place:  Roberto Strafella
4th Place:  Sergio Nogueira Jr
5th Place:  Lauric Thiault
HM:  Linda See
HM:  Ian Chow

 

Compact Macro

1st Place:  Alessandro Raho
2nd Place:  ChenVui Soon
3rd Place:  Alessandro Raho
4th Place:  Dennis Corpuz
HM:  Giacomo Giovannini

 

Compact Marine Life Behavior

1st Place:  Jack Berthomier
2nd Place:  Abimael Marquez
3rd Place:  Jens Schultz
4th Place:  Massimo Giorgetta
HM:  Stephen Holinski
HM:  Kiyoung Jang

 

Compact Wide-Angle

1st Place:  Brian Christiansen
2nd Place:  Stephen Holinski
3rd Place:  Kate Rister
4th Place:  Steven Shoelson
HM:  Sarah Stein

 

Nudibranchs

1st Place:  Roland Bach
2nd Place:  Roland Bach
3rd Place:  Miguel Pereira
4th Place:  Massimo Zannini
5th Place:  Stefano Scortegagna

 

Supermacro

1st Place:  So Yat Wai
2nd Place:  Marco Fierli
3rd Place:  Dennis Corpuz
4th Place:  Ludovic Galko-Rundgren
5th Place:  So Yat Wai
HM:  So Yat Wai

 

Pool/Conceptual

1st Place:  Francesco Pacienza
2nd Place:  Sarah Teveldal
3rd Place:  Dennis Vandermeersch
4th Place:  Steffen Binke
5th Place: Ken Kiefer
HM:  Uri Magnus Dotan

 


 

 Special thanks to Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and Scott Gietler for judging the competition.

Take in inside look at the judging process & learn what the judges look for in our JUDGES' COMMENTS.

 


 


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 Quick Links to All Categories

Wide-Angle
Macro
Cold Water
Portrait
Marine Life Behavior
Novice DSLR
Mirrorless Macro
Mirrorless Behavior
Mirrorless Wide-Angle
Compact Macro
Compact Behavior
Compact Wide-Angle
Nudibranchs
SuperMacro
Pool / Conceptual

 

 


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