LAUPS International Underwater Photo Competition 2010 Announces Winners

By Scott Gietler

The  Los Angeles Underwater Photography Society announces the winners of its 48th annual international underwater photo competition.

UWPG Techniques editor Todd Winner won the Best of Show, with a photoessay of images from his great white cage diving. Todd also teaches workshops at the new underwater camera store Bluewater Photo.

 Click on the above image for a larger photo

These are 4 spectacular images, and the win is well deserved! Todd's top center photo was recently the subject of a "How to get the shot" article in the Underwater Photography Guide.

Here's a gallery of the winning images

And a big congratulations to all the winners, listed here:

BEST OF SHOW
Todd Winner, Redondo Beach, CA, USA, "Cage Diving" (photo essay)

Category - MACRO
FIRST PLACE:
Uwe Schmolke, Ruesselsheim, Hessen, GERMANY, "Alien Attack"
SECOND PLACE:
Csaba Tokolyi, Budapest, HUNGARY, "Golden Stare"
THIRD PLACE:
Adriano Morettin, Trieste, ITALY, "Cleaning Station"
FOURTH PLACE:
Noam Kortler, Eilat, ISRAEL, "Glowing"
FIFTH PLACE:
Blaettler Matthias, Quartino, Ticino, SWITZERLAND, "Pegasus"
SIXTH PLACE:
Paolo Isgro, Belluno, ITALY, "Soft Coral Crab"
Honorable Mentions:
Jose Alejandro Alvarez, Santo Domingo, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA, "Giant Puffer"
Gabriele Donati, Siena, ITALY, "Flabellina"
Paolo Rossi, Pesaro, ITALY, "Home Sweet Home"

Category - WIDE ANGLE
FIRST PLACE:
Blaettler Matthias, Quartino, Ticino, SWITZERLAND, "Iguana"
SECOND PLACE:
Keri Wilk, Mississuga, Ontario, CANADA, "Crocodile"
THIRD PLACE:
Keri Wilk, Mississuga, Ontario, CANADA, "Zero Plus One"
FOURTH PLACE:
Keri Wilk, Mississuga, Ontario, CANADA, "Crack"
FIFTH PLACE:
Bartosz Strozynski, Poznan, POLAND, "Face to Face"
SIXTH PLACE:
Claudio Gazzaroli, Ascona, Ticino, SWITZERLAND, "Blacktip Portrait"
Honorable Mentions:
Tunc Yavuzdgo, Istanbul, Kadikoy, TURKEY, "Mangroves"
Claudio Gazzaroli, Ascona, Ticino, SWITZERLAND, "Shark Smile"
Keri Wilk, Mississuga, Ontario, CANADA, "Keyhole"

Category - COLD/GREEN WATER
FIRST PLACE:
Bartosz Strozynski, Poznan, POLAND, "The Road to Hell"
SECOND PLACE:
Claudio Gazzaroli, Ascona, Ticino, SWITZERLAND, "Ice Cave"
THIRD PLACE:
Todd Mintz, Regina, SK, CANADA, "Iceberg Texture"
FOURTH PLACE:
Luc Rooman, Kieldrecht, BELGIUM, "Sepia's Sepias"
FIFTH PLACE:
Keri Wilk, Mississuga, Ontario, CANADA, "Snapping Turtle"
SIXTH PLACE:
Bartosz Strozynski, Poznan, POLAND, "The Ice Cosmos"
Honorable Mentions:
Allison Vitsky, San Diego, CA, USA, "Roar"
Uwe Schmolke, Ruesselsheim, Hessen, GERMANY, "Cycle of Life"
Luc Rooman, Kieldrecht, BELGIUM, "Pike"

Category - PHOTO ESSAY
FIRST PLACE:
Maxim Tomashevich, Moscow, RUSSIA, "Hello World"
SECOND PLACE:
Todd Winner, Redondo Beach, CA, USA, "Oil Rigs"
THIRD PLACE:
Jose Alejandro Alvarez, Santo Domingo, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA, "Isla Mujeres"
FOURTH PLACE:
Katarzyna Battenfeld, Lower Saxony, GERMANY, "Underwater Garden"
FIFTH PLACE:
Jeff Laity, Pasadena, CA, USA, "Froggies"
Honorable Mentions:
Kevin Lee, Fullterton, CA, USA, "Taking Flight"
Jose Alejandro Alvarez, Santo Domingo, DN, REPUBLICA DOMINICANA, "Akumal"

Category - BEHAVIOR
FIRST PLACE:
Phil Sokol, San Diego, CA, USA, "The Chase"
SECOND PLACE:
Noam Kortler, Eilat, ISRAEL, "Tough Cookie"
THIRD PLACE:
Uwe Schmolke, Ruesselsheim, Hessen, GERMANY, "Prying Eyes"
FOURTH PLACE:
Allison Vitsky, San Diego, CA, USA, "Fishing"
FIFTH PLACE:
Derek Haslam, Northwich, Cheshire, ENGLAND, "New Life Cast Adrift"
SIXTH PLACE:
Gabriele Donati, Siena, ITALY, "Lepre di Mare"
Honorable Mentions:
Steven Kovacs, Moore Haven, FL, USA, "Super Dad"
Uwe Schmolke, Ruesselsheim, Hessen, GERMANY, "See My Babies"
Steven Kovacs, Moore Haven, FL, USA, "Mating Cuttlefish"

VIDEO RAW FOOTAGE
FIRST PLACE:
Walter Marti, Misseion Viejo, CA, USA
SECOND PLACE:
Paul Pieper, Lake View Terrace, CA, USA
THIRD PLACE:
Walter Marti, Misseion Viejo, CA, USA
FOURTH PLACE:
Paul Pieper, Lake View Terrace, CA, USA
FIFTH PLACE:
Walter Marti, Mission Viejo, CA, USA

VIDEO OPEN
FIRST PLACE:
Nannette Van Antwerp, Valencia, CA, USA
SECOND PLACE:
Sharon Wada, Snohomish, WA, USA
THIRD PLACE:
Anastasia Laity, Glendale, CA, USA
FOURTH PLACE:
Zsolt Sasdi, Szombathely, Vas, HUNGARY

Further Reading

LAUPS 2009 International Winners

Ocean Art 2010 winners

NCUPS SEA 2010 winners