2019 Ocean Art Contest Winners

Winning Images from the prestigious 8th Annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Contest
By UWPG News

First of all, we would like to congratulate everyone who joined the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition! This competition is one of the most prestigious nature photo contests in the world, and the winning images represent some of the best underwater photographs of the year, taken in some of the best scuba diving locations in the world.

Photographers from 78 countries entered images, and over $85,000 in sponsor prizes have been awarded, making the Ocean Art prize value among the highest in the world. Our two new categories, conservation and blackwater diving, had an overwhelming response of incredible photos and were two of the highlights of the competition. In addition to the "Best of Show", we added a new award "Rising Star Photographer" won by Jules Casey who took an amazing photo of six juvenile seahorses.

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

We would also like to extend our appreciation to our world-renowned judges Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and Scott Gietler for judging the competition, Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel for their support. An additional thanks to Mark Strickland and Craig Dietrich for their help with the judging process when their expertise was needed. Click here to view the judges comments for this year's competition. 

Press Release and Media Contact: http://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art-2019-press-release

 

Click here to view the Ocean Art 2019 winners at a larger size (best for desktop)

Want to win next year? Join one of our underwater photo workshops

 


 

Quick Links:

Wide Angle      Macro      Marine Life Behavior      Portrait      Coldwater      Nudibranch
Supermacro      Reefscape      Blackwater      Conservation      Underwater Art

 

Novice Category:


Compact Category:

 

List of Winners

 


Best of Show

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 "Crab-Eater Seal"
Best of Show - Greg Lecoeur
Shot in Antartica Peninsula

 

 

Our Sponsors:

 


Wide-Angle Category

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"Blur of Sweetlips"
1st Place - Nicholas More
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

 

"The Engine"
2nd Place - Tobias Friedrich
Shot in Red Sea, Egypt

 

"Eye of the Tornado"
3rd Place - Adam Martin
Shot in Baja, Mexico

 

"Anemone City"
4th Place - Borut Furlan

 

"Paradise"
5th Place - Taeyup Kim
Shot in Fakarava, French Polynesia

 

"The Cave"
Honorable Mention - Alessandro Buzzicheli
Shot in Tuscany, Italy

 


"Under the Pier"
Honorable Mention - Jose Antonio Castellano

 

Macro

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"Radiography"
1st Place - Stefano Cerbai
Shot in Puerto Galera, Philippines

"The Story"
2nd Place - Wu Yung-Sen
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

"The Hyponotist"
3rd Place - Dave Johnson
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

"Lucernaria Quadricornis"
4th Place - Petr Polách
Shot in White Sea, Russia

"Flamboyant in Space"
5th Place - Hakan Basar
Shot in Anilao, Philippines

"Rospo Smeraldino"
Honorable Mention - Paolo Bondaschi

"The Indian"
Honorable Mention - Yat Wai So
Shot in Anilao, Philippines

 

 

Marine Life Behavior

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"A Friendly Ride"
1st  - Paula Vianna
Shot in Queensland, Australia while diving the Great Barrier Reef

"Lethal Fluid"
2nd Place - Paolo Bausani
Shot in Anilao, Philippines

"Worm with Eggs"
3rd Place - Steven Kovacs
Shot in Palm Beach, Florida, USA

"Strange Encounters"
4th Place - Hannes Klostermann
Shot in Baja California Sur, Mexico

"The Choir"
Honorable Mention - Pedro Carillo
Shot in Baja California Sur, Mexico

"Egg Release"
Honorable Mention - Steven Kovacs
Shot in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles


"Gigantic Aggregation of Munk Devil Rays in Baja California Sur"
Honorable Mention - Jay Clue
Shot in Baja California Sur, Mexico

 

Portrait

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"Gaspare"
1st Place - Virginia Salzedo
Shot in Puglia, Italy


"Look at me"
2nd Place - Davide Lombroso
Shot in Saline Joniche, Italy

"Toads"
3rd Place - Claudio Zori
Shot in Bolzano, Italy


"Cuba Croc"
4th Place  - Emry Oxford
Shot in Cuba

"Silky Portrait and Sunset"
5th Place  - Mok Wai Hoe


"Cormoran Underwater"
Honorable Mention  - Greg Lecoeur
Shot in La Paz, Mexico


"Snooty"
Honorable Mention  - Galice Hoarau
Shot in Florida, USA

Coldwater

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"Crab-Eater Seal"
1st Place - Greg Lecoeur
Shot in Antartica Peninsula

"Icerock"
2nd Place - Tobias Friedrich
Shot in Tasiilaq Fjord, East Greenland

"Hungry"
3rd Place - Johan Sundelin
Shot in Shetland Islands, Scotland

"Catch"
4th Place - Johan Sundelin
Shot in Shetland Islands, Scotland

"Sup on the River"
5th Place - Aldo Costa
Shot in Tuscany, Italy

"Welcoming Committee"
Honorable Mention - Celia Kujala
Shot in Chubut Province, Argentina

"Reflection"
Honorable Mention - Mirko Zanni
Shot in Maggia Valley, South Switzerland

Nudibranchs

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"Treats from Mooloolah River"
1st Place - Jenny Stock
Shot in Queensland, Australia

"The Sheep"
2nd Place - Andrea Pescarolo
Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

"The Sky"
3rd Place - Andrey Savin
Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

"Green Field"
4th Place - Mauro Apuleo

"Orange UFO"
5th Place - Cedric Peneau
Shot in Étang Salé, Reunion Island 

"Sheep in Dreamland"
Honorable Mention - Chun Ho Tam
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

Supermacro 

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"Clownfish Eggs"
1st Place - Paolo Isgro
Shot in Tulamben, Indonesia

"Hiding in Flowers"
2nd Place - Leon Zhao
Shot in Bali, Indonesia

"Tiny Hairy Shrimp"
3rd Place - Paolo Isgro
Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia

"Spikefin Goby"
4th Place - Qing Lin
Shot in Cebu, Philippines

Reefscapes 

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"Raja Ampat"
1st Place - Eduardo Acevedo Fernandez
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

"Mangrove Soft Coral"
2nd Place - Nicholas More
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

"Reef at Sunrise"
3rd Place - Enrico Somogyi
Shot in Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines

"Biodiversity"
4th Place - Greg Lecoeur
Shot in Simon's Town, South Africa

"Rose Garden"
Honorable Mention - Yen Yi Lee
Shot in Palau

"Glass Fish Reef"
Honorable Mention - Nicholas More
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Blackwater

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"Snaketooth Swallower"
1st Place - Fabien Michenet 
Shot in Tahiti Island, French Polynesia

"Blanket Octopus"
2nd Place - Paolo Bausani 
Shot in Anilao, Philippines

"Lionfish"
3rd Place - Steven Kovacs 
Shot in Florida, USA

"Mom Keeping an Eye on the Little Ones"
4th Place - Lureen Ferretti 

"Bride"
5th Place - Tianhong Wang 
Shot in Anilao, Philippines

"Alciopid Worm"
Honorable Mention Place - Fabien Michenet 
Shot in Tahiti Island, French Polynesia

"Flounder"
Honorable Mention - Steven Kovacs 
Shot in Florida, USA

"Long Lure Larval Flounder"
Honorable Mention - Suzan Meldonian 

Conservation

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"Victim"
1st Place - Shane Gross 
Shot in Eleuthera, Bahamas 

"Trapped"
2nd Place - Alessandro Grasso 
Shot in Punta Chiappa Camogli, Italy

"Plastic Soup"
3rd Place - Brooke Lori Pyke 
Shot in Bali, Indonesia

"Acropora Robusta Coral Fragments at the Ocean Gardener Coral Nursery in Candidasa Bali"
4th Place - Nicole Helgason 
Shot in East Bali, Indonesia

"Sea Turtle Trapped"
5th Place - Francis Perez 
Shot in Canary Islands, Spain

"The Dawn of a NOT, New Day"
Honorable Mention - Pasquale Vassallo 
Bacoli Napoli, Italy

"Both Worlds of Fishing"
Honorable Mention - Rafael Fernandez Caballero 
Shot in Ceuta, Spain

Underwater Art

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"Psychedelic Seahorse"
1st Place - Francisco Sedano

"Hairy at Sunrise"
2nd Place - Enrico Somogyi
Shot in Ambon, Indonesia

"Bubble Portrait"
3rd Place - Jenny Stock
Shot in Australia

"Narcissism"
4th Place - Tae Wook Kang
Shot in Daegu, South Korea

"Untitled"
Honorable Mention - Kimber Greenwood


"The Air of Jupiter"
Honorable Mention - Aia Mar

Novice Wide Angle

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"The Shepherd"
1st Place - George Kuo-Wei Kao
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia

"The Blue Arch"
2nd Place - George Kuo-Wei Kao
Shot in Cebu, Philippines

"Welcome to Mikura-Jima"
3rd Place - George Kuo-Wei Kao
Shot in Mikura-Jima, Japan

"Beauty Spots"
4th Place - Jake Wilton
Shot in Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia

"Humphead Parrotfish and Diver""
5th Place - Jeongin Kim
Shot in Sipadan Island, Malaysia

"Couple Dating"
Honorable Mention - Jeongin Kim
Shot in Bali, Indonesia

Novice Macro

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"Seahorse Bus"
1st Place - Jules Casey
"Rising Star Photographer" Award
"Best of Show" runner-up
Shot in Victoria, Australia

"Hairy Shrimp"
2nd Place - Michael Loh
Shot in Tulamben, Indonesia

"Who is it?"
3rd Place - George Kuo-Wei Kao
Shot in Anilao, Philippines

"Cuttlefish and Friends"
4th Place - Mel Wu
Shot in Dauin, Philippines

"Chestnut Moray"
5th Place - Kierstin Zetterberg
Shot in Kralendijk, Bonaire

"What Are You Looking At?"
Honorable Mention - Naomi Strong
Shot in Tulamben, Indonesia

Compact Wide Angle

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"Blended"
1st Place - Talia Greis
Shot in Sydney, Australia

"Red and Blue"
2nd Place - Minsik Roh
Shot in Jeju Island, South Korean

"Stretching"
3rd Place - Benhur Sarinda
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

"Boat Full of Bottles"
4th Place - Enrico Somogyi
Shot in Dauin, Philippines

"Coconut Octopus"
Honorable Mention - Enrico Somogyi
Shot in Sipalay, Philippines


Compact Macro

 Click photo to view full size

"Lemon Goby"
1st Place - Stan Chen
Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

"Ponda Goby with Eggs"
2nd Place - Stan Chen
Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia

"Telle Une Torpille Pelagia Cherche Sa Proie"
3rd Place - Fabien Martinazzo

"La Communication Non Verbale"
4th Place - Fabien Martinazzo

"Dancing in the Garden"
Honorable Mention - Donghoon Lee
Shot in Tulamben, Indonesia

"Reflection"
Honorable Mention - Alesso Tinti
Shot in Monticolo Lake, Italy

Compact Behavior

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"Open Mouth Grouper"
1st Place - Ferenc Lorincz
Shot in Red Sea, Egypt

"Protective Cocoon of the Parrot Fish"
2nd Place - Fabien Martinazzo
Shot in Mactan, Philippines
 
"Mating Hairy Frogfish"
3rd Place - Willy Irawan
Shot in Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia

"Hairy Frogfish Hunting at Night"
4th Place - Simon Deblock
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia

"Fighting for the Female"
Honorable Mention - Lawrence Alex Wu

 


List of Winners

Wide Angle

1st Place:  Nicholas More

2nd Place:  Tobias Friedrich

3rd Place:  Adam Martin

4th Place  Borut Furlan

5th Place:  Taeyup Kim

Honorable Mention:  Alessandro Buzzichelli

Honorable Mention:  Jose Antonio Castellano

 

Macro

1st Place:  Stefano Cerbai

2nd Place:  Wu Yung-Sen

3rd Place:  Dave Johnson

4th Place  Petr Polách

5th Place:  Hakan Basar

Honorable Mention:  Paolo Bondaschi

Honorable Mention:  Yatwai So

 

Marine Life Behavior

1st Place:  Paula Vianna

2nd Place:  Paolo Bausani

3rd Place:  Steven Kovacs

4th Place  Hannes Klostermann

5th Place:  Pedro Carrillo Montero

Honorable Mention:  Steven Kovacs

Honorable Mention:  Jason Clue

 

Portrait

1st Place:  Virgina Salzedo

2nd Place:  Davide Lombroso

3rd Place:  Claudio Zori

4th Place  Emry Oxford

5th Place:  Mok Wai Hoe

Honorable Mention:  Greg Lecoeur

Honorable Mention:  Galice Hoarau

 

Coldwater

1st Place:  Greg Lecoeur

2nd Place:  Tobias Friedrich

3rd Place:  Johan Sundelin

4th Place  Johan Sundelin

5th Place:  Aldo Costa

Honorable Mention:  Celia Kujala

Honorable Mention:  Mirko Zanni

 

Nudibranch

1st Place:  Jenny Stock

2nd Place:  Andrea Pescarolo

3rd Place:  Andrey Savin

4th Place  Mauro Apuleo

5th Place:  Cedric Peneau

Honorable Mention:  Chun Ho Tam

 

Supermacro

1st Place:  Paolo Isgro

2nd Place:  Leon Zhao

3rd Place:  Paolo Isgro

4th Place  Qing Lin

 

Reefscapes

1st Place:  Eduardo Acevedo Fernandez

2nd Place:  Nicholas More

3rd Place:  Enrico Somogyi

4th Place  Greg Lecoeur

5th Place:  Yen-Yi Lee

Honorable Mention:  Nicholas More

 

Blackwater

1st Place:  Fabien Michenet

2nd Place:  Paolo Bausani

3rd Place:  Steven Kovacs

4th Place  Lureen Ferretti

5th Place:  Tianhong Wang

Honorable Mention:  Fabien Michenet

Honorable Mention:  Steven Kovacs

Honorable Mention:  Suzan Meldonian

 

Conservation

1st Place:  Shane Gross

2nd Place:  Alessandro Grasso

3rd Place:  Brooke Lori Pyke

4th Place  Nicole Helgason

5th Place:  Francis Perez

Honorable Mention:  Pasquale Vassallo

Honorable Mention:  Rafael Fernandez Caballero

 

Underwater Art

1st Place:  Francisco Sedano

2nd Place:  Enrico Somogy

3rd Place:  Jenny Stock

4th Place:  Tae Wok Kang

Honorable Mention:  Kimber Greenwood

Honorable Mention:  Aîa Mar

 

Novice Wide Angle

1st Place:  George Kuo-Wei Kao

2nd Place:  George Kuo-Wei Kao

3rd Place:  George Kuo-Wei Kao

4th Place  Jake Wilton

5th Place:  Jeongin Kim

Honorable Mention:  Jeongin Kim

 

Novice Macro

1st Place:  Julie Casey

2nd Place:  Michael Loh

3rd Place:  George Kuo-Wei Kao

4th Place  Mel Wu

5th Place:  Kierstin Zetterberg

Honorable Mention:  Naomi Strong

 

Compact Wide Angle

1st Place:  Talia Greis

2nd Place:  Minsik Roh

3rd Place:  Benhur Sarinda

4th Place  Enrico Somogyi

Honorable Mention:  Enrico Somogyi

 

Compact Macro

1st Place:  Stan Chen

2nd Place:  Stan Chen

3rd Place:  Fabien Martinazzo

4th Place:  Fabien Martinazzo

Honorable Mention:  Donghoon Lee

Honorable Mention:  Alessio Tinti

 

Compact Behavior

1st Place:  Ferenc Lorincz

2nd Place:  Fabien Martinazzo

3rd Place:  Willy Irawan

4th Place  Simon Deblock

Honorable Mention:  Lawrence Alex Wu

 

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