If you’re looking to find out whether your photography matches up with the best, the Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition is one of the big events on the international calendar, and entries are now open for 2023.
You have until close of play on 30 November to submit entries, and the prize pot valued at more than US $110,000 is said to be the competition’s biggest ever.
Ocean Art 2023, the 12th annual competition for amateurs and professionals, is organised from Los Angeles by Underwater Photography Guide (UPG). It has 14 categories including two new ones: Underwater Fashion Photography and Underwater Digital Art, the latter permitting “complete freedom in post-processing”.
Familiar categories include Wide Angle, Macro and Marine Life Behaviour – these three all with corresponding compact-camera categories – Black & White, Marine Life Portrait, Cold/Temperate Water, Blackwater, Underwater Conservation and Nudibranchs.
The categories are designed to ensure that all photo disciplines and cameras compete on a level playing field, says the organiser, UPG’s editor-in-chief Nirupam Nigam, and will produce more than 50 prize-winning images.
Prizes are provided by dive resorts, liveaboards and photo-gear manufacturers, with holiday packages of up to a fortnight mainly in prime Asia-Pacific locations. Winners from each category will be able to rank the prizes they would most like to receive, making them more likely to receive those they desire, says UPG
Judges include underwater photographers Tony Wu, Marty Snyderman and Mark Strickland. UPG is the most-visited resource worldwide for underwater photographers, says Nigam, publishing tutorials, technique tips, gear reviews and news and running photo-workshops around the world. Go to its Ocean Art Photo Competition page for full details and entries.
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