The winners of the 2024 DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition, who can expect to share US $80,000-worth of prizes between them, have been announced today (31 January).
The annual contest is for still images and short films, and US-based organiser DivePhotoGuide says that “thousands of photographers and film-makers from dozens of countries” posted submissions in the eight image and one video category.
The entries were evaluated by a panel of six underwater photographers: Nicolas Remy, Steven Kovacs, Shane Gross, Tanya Houppermans, Imran Ahmad and Andy Sallmon. Fifteen per cent of the entry fees are said to be donated directly to marine-conservation efforts
DPG Grand Master 2024 was Canadian videographer Eiko Jones, whose film The Journey was said to have “brilliantly captured” the dramatic life-cycle of salmon in Canadian rivers and won first place in the Short Film category.
Of the compilation of sequences from Jones’ longer Heartbeat Of The River, the film-maker said: “My goal in producing this short film is to showcase the incredible journey the salmon of Vancouver Island’s Campbell and Quinsam Rivers take in the completion of their life-cycle.
“It’s a triumph over adversaries and obstacles that has gone on for millennia along the coast of British Columbia and the United States.”
(Taken with a Nikon Z6, ZCAM E2-S6, Sigma AF 8–16mm f/4.5–5.6, Nikon AF-S 60mm f/2.8Macro, Aquatica & Nauticam housings, Nauticam EMWL, Laowa Macro Probe and Keldan video lights).
Below are the gold and silver entries in the other categories (except gold only in Portfolio):
Traditional / Gold:
Mobula Dance by Vanessa Mignon (Australia)

Mignon was in Baja California, Mexico, hoping to witness its famous mobula ray aggregation. “We had seen a few groups migrating in the bay, but the visibility was not great in the shallow waters. So we decided to head out to sea, looking for deeper, bluer waters.
“Soon enough, we saw what we were hoping for: mobulas jumping out of the water. We jumped in and found a tight ball of mobulas circling and swimming in unison, a beautiful, hypnotic dance.
“Witnessing big aggregations like the ones in Baja California at certain times of the year, you might think that mobula rays are doing well. Unfortunately, the IUCN Red List indicates that the overall population is decreasing and lists these amazing rays as Vulnerable.”
(Taken with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV ≠ EF 8–15mm Fisheye, Nauticam housing. f/4, 1/500th, ISO 500)
Traditional / Silver:
The Dark Side by Renata Romeo (Italy)

The shot was taken in Marsa Alam, Egypt. “At the end of a check-dive, during my safety stop under the boat with my group, I was looking around the divers, near the reef and at the sandy bottom,” says Romeo. “I saw something swimming in midwater and I did not recognise what it was at first.
“I got closer to it and, to my surprise, I saw that it was a panther torpedo! It was the first time in 15 years that I could see a torpedo swimming so far from the sand and not on the bottom. Generally, they stay on the bottom and cover themselves with sand for camouflage in the daytime.
“I quickly adjusted my strobes and camera settings because the torpedo was moving fast, and I had just enough space to squeeze myself underneath it to shoot a couple of pictures before it quickly swam to deeper water. I finally got to see his ‘other’ side!”
(Taken with a Canon EOS R7 + EF 8–15mm Fisheye, Easydive Leo3wi housing, two Inon Z-330 strobes. f/11, 1/200th, ISO 200)
Macro / Gold:
Werefish by Andrea Michelutti (Italy)

“It was deeply moving to witness this scene of a scorpionfish devouring a lizardfish,” says Michelutti of this photograph taken in Anilao, Batangas in the Philippines.
“Staying focused to get the shot wasn’t easy. The shot captures the stark contrast between nature’s beauty and its harsh reality. A snoot was utilised to concentrate the light of my strobe, keeping the background dark and unobtrusive.”
(Taken with a Sony RX100 Mark VII, Marelux housing, Inon Z-330 strobe, Snooty Optical Snoot. f/11, 1/500th, ISO 100)
Macro / Silver:
The Little Devil In The Mouth by Wen Chou Wu (Taiwan)

“I believe most divers have seen the tongue-eating louse on social media,” says Wen, who took his shot in north-eastern Taiwan. “It passes through the gills into the fish’s mouth, eventually replacing the tongue and becoming part of the fish.
One day in August 2024, when I was doing a 5m safety stop, I spotted a blenny hiding in a hole, and I took a few photos to pass the time. I didn’t find anything ‘abnormal’ about the blenny while I was shooting, but when I looked at the photos on my computer later, I noticed that it also had a ‘little monster’ in its mouth!
“I thought the fish would be tortured by the tongue-eating louse, but the two seemed to be living together quite harmoniously, making this photo both cute and unsettling at the same time.”
(Taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III + M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8 Macro, AOI housing, AOI +15 macro diopter, two SUPE D-Pro strobes. f/18, 1/160th, ISO 100)
Wide Angle / Gold:
Donatello’s Larder by Massimo Zannini (Italy)

Cava Valsora in the Apuan Alps in Tuscany, one of Italy’s famous Carrara marble quarries “provides an arena-like backdrop for an adorable Italian alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestrisapuana),” says Zannini.
“While the quarry still produces the well-known white and blue-grey marble, extraction is avoided from the natural pool where a colony of these colourful newts breed – a heart-warming example of safeguarding a vulnerable species.”
(Taken with a Nikon D850 ≠ EF 8–15mm Fisheye, Nauticam housing, two SUPE D-Pro strobes. f/14, 1/200th, ISO 125)
Wide Angle / Silver:
Big Baby by Brittany Ilardi (USA)

“That’s a really, really big baby!” says Ilardi. “Nothing but smiles after swimming with this extra-curious humpback calf in the crystal-clear waters of French Polynesia. In the winter, the Polynesian islands are full of migrating whales, coming to breed and raise their babies.
“On this particular day, we were incredibly lucky to find a mom and calf just five minutes after launching the boat. We slid into the water and were greeted by this curious young female, who definitely didn’t know the meaning of personal space. She kept swimming circles around me, coming in close to say ‘hi’ again and again, until mom decided it was time to go.”
(Taken with a Canon EOS R5 + 28–70mm f/3.5–4.5, Nauticam housing, Nauticam WACP-C. f/8, 1/400th, ISO 800)
Over-Under / Gold:
Frog by Luc Rooman (Belgium)

“The attraction of amphibians remains very strong for me, though photographing them requires a great deal of patience, as they generally aren’t very willing subjects,” says Rooman of this photograph taken in Antwerp. “However, after spending many hours in the water, there was finally a frog that stayed still on a lily pad.
“Indeed, this one clearly wanted his picture taken: every time I moved to photograph the frog from a different angle, he would turn with me.”
(Taken with a Nikon Z7 II + 16-35mm f/4, Isotta housing, Subtronic strobes. f/13, 1/200th, ISO 100)
Over-Under / Silver:
Pink On Yellow by Martin Stevens (UK)

“Mauve stinger jellyfish are not commonly seen around the UK, but 2024 was a year where they turned up in huge numbers around the far south-west during the summer and early autumn,” says Stevens. However, he had yet to see any until one day when he was set to photograph and film in tide-pools in Falmouth in Cornwall.
“We got to the beach to find hundreds of the jellyfish washing up and swimming in the pools, due to strong onshore winds. I went home, changed into my wetsuit, and then snorkelled in the pools at the water’s edge, where lots of the bright pink jellyfish were collecting. They made a beautiful contrast to the yellow seaweed, the vibrant colors against the stormy grey skies above.”
(Taken with an OM System OM-5 + Olympus 7–14mm Pro, Isotta housing, two Sea&Sea YS-D3 II strobes. f/13, 1/200th, ISO 400)
Conservation / Gold:
Suffocating by Matthew Mak (Canada)

Mak was pursuing a baitball in Magdalena Bay, Baja, Mexico and it had attracted frigates, skipjacks and Californian sea-lions. “Among the group of sea-lions was this male. Entangled around his neck was what appeared to be fishing-net debris. Despite the odds, he was seen successfully hunting, appearing in reasonable condition and not emaciated.
“We encountered him at two different baitballs, where he enthusiastically partook in the action. It was incredibly heartbreaking seeing how he had become entangled, but also remarkable how he still managed.
“There is an alarming amount of plastic waste collecting in our oceans, and this image serves as a stark reminder of how it is impacting wildlife and the environment. Despite how animals may be adapting, we must do better at minimising our impact on the planet if we are to coexist harmoniously with its inhabitants.”
(Taken with a Sony a1, Sigma 14–24mm f/2.8 DN DG Art, Ikelite housing. f/7.1, 1/1250th, ISO 2000)
Conservation / Silver:
The Last Splash Of Ink by Pasquale Vassallo (Italy)

“One of my recent photographic projects has been documenting the impact of fishing-nets on my local marine environment,” says Vassallo, who was on Ischia Island when this opportunity arose. “In this shot, a trapped cuttlefish is trying, with all its might, to free itself from a net, releasing a jet of ink as if attempting to destroy the terrible trap with which it is entangled.
“Especially in the summer, cuttlefish come close to the coast in order to lay their eggs, but a large number of them are caught, at the very least taking away their chance to spawn.
“Some fishermen are permitted to fish inshore and abide by the rules. Others engage in overfishing and seem to show little respect for the environment.”
(Taken with a Canon EOS R5 + RF 15–35mm f/2.8, Seacam housing, two Seacam 160D strobes. f/22, 1/160th, ISO 250)
Blackwater / Gold:
The Ascent Of The Argonaut by André Moyo (France)

“From the unfathomable depths, where light fades and silence reigns, an argonaut begins its journey toward the surface,” says Moyo. “Enclosed in its delicate shell, a masterpiece of natural architecture, it rises, carried by a mysterious current.
“Like a dream adrift from the abyss, it encounters a floating leaf, an unlikely companion in its wandering. The leaf, detached from an unknown tree, seems to dance, guided by the whims of the water. Together they drift – the iridescent shell and the gentle cradle of nature – united in a silent dance. The nautilus, a traveler of the deep, aligns with the leaf’s lightness, as if the ocean itself offered a fleeting moment of poetry.” It all happened in Anilao in the Philippines.
(Taken with a Nikon D850 + AF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro, Seacam housing, Fotocore GTX strobe. f/25, 1sec, ISO 100)
Blackwater / Silver:
Hungry Octopus by Dennis Corpuz (Philippines)

This was another winning shot taken in Anilao. “My team and I are accustomed to witnessing the spectacular vertical migration of deep-sea creatures during our blackwater dives,” says Corpuz. “On one particular dive,I caught sight of a small octopus swimming in a random and erratic pattern. Curious, I swam closer to investigate and noticed a tiny crab frantically trying to escape the tentacles of the octopus.
“Without hesitation, I managed to capture a few shots of this intense interaction before the octopus retreated back into the depths. It was a stroke of luck to witness such interesting animal behaviour.”
(Taken with a Nikon D7000 + AF-S 60mm f/2.8Macro, Sea&Sea housing, Fotocore GTX strobe. f/25, 1/250th, ISO 250)
Compact / Gold:
Inside by Andrea Michelutti (Italy)

“This blue trevally (Carangoides ferdau) nestled within a Thysanostoma thysanura jellyfish showcases their symbiotic relationship, a form of commensalism,” says Michelutti of this, another Anilao shot.
“The fish benefits from the jellyfish by gaining protection and shelter, using it as a shield against predators. In return, the jellyfish experiences indirect advantages, such as the removal of parasites or debris thanks to the fish’s presence.
(Taken with a Sony RX100 Mark VII, Marelux housing, Inon ZM80 wide-angle diopter, two Inon Z-330 strobes. f/10, 1/250th, ISO 250)
Compact / Silver:
Ghostpipes by Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

“While diving in the waters of Dauin [Philippines] I spotted a pair of harlequin ghost pipefish moving elegantly back and forth in the current,” says Somogyi. “Their bodies shimmered in soft colours and matched the surroundings perfectly.
“I watched fascinated, as they playfully swam around each other, as if performing a secret dance. The sun shone trough the water and created a magical play of light. I positioned myself to capture the diver in the background and the pair of ghost pipefish in the foreground.
“The contrast between the shimmering light and the delicate fish was breathtaking. When I pressed the shutter, I knew I had captured a unique moment – the beauty of the underwater world in a single image.”
(Taken with a Sony RX100 Mark VII, Fantasea housing, Nauticam EMWL with 160° Objective Lens, two Backscatter Mini Flash (MF-2) strobes, two DIY snoots, Weefine WED-5 monitor. f/8, 1/800th, ISO 125)
Portfolio / Gold:
Around The World by Filippo Borghi (Italy)
Highlighting different areas of the world, Borghi’s portfolio aimed to show different behaviours of various marine creatures in their natural environment.
“From large mammals to microscopic creatures that float in the ocean currents, the subjects range from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea to the surface of South Australia to the cold waters of Antarctica to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean,” he says:






All the winning and highly commended entries with their back-stories can be found on DivePhotoGuide’s Underwater Competition pages.
Also on Divernet: THE PASSENGER STRIKES GOLD IN DPG MASTERS, DPG AND WETPIXEL REBRAND OUR WORLD UNDERWATER IMAGING CONTEST