‘Green Turtles in the rays’ by Greg Lecoeur. Location: Tenerife
Photography contests seem to dominate the internet around March and April every year, and I look at plenty of them. But among the sea of contenders, I think I’ve found my favorite. These are the winners of the Underwater Photographer of the Year Contest, and the entries are really remarkable. Hosted by Underwater Photography Magazine in connection with the Marine Conservation Society, the contest is in its third year. With 4,500 images from 67 countries, the contest judges had a wealth of photos to consider. The organizers publish the winning entries in a digital yearbook with fascinating details and judges’ notes to accompany each of the nearly 150 winning photos. I really recommend you check it out.
All images property of Underwater Photography Magazine.
‘Dancing Octopus’ by Gabriel Barathieu. (Grand Prize Winner) Location: Mayotte
‘Medusa Blenny on the Lookout’ by Jade Hoksbergen. Location: St. Lucia
‘One in a Million’ by Ron Watkins. Location: Alaska
‘Can I Help You?’ Ellen Cuylaerts. Location: Cayman Islands
‘The wreck of the Louilla at sunset’ by Csaba Tökölyi . Location: Straits of Tiran
‘Competition’ by Richard Shucksmith. Location: Scotland
‘Your home and my home’ by Qing Lin. Location: Canada
‘Toads mating’ by Luc Rooman. Location: Belgium
‘Backlight Shrimp’ by Fábio Freitas. Location: Brazil
‘Out of the Blue’ by Nick Blake. Location: Kukulkan Cenote, Mexico
‘Imp of darkness’ by Damien Mauric. Location: Isla Fernandina, Equador
‘Larval Lionfish’ by Steven Kovacs. Location: Palm Beach, Florida
‘Nudi Art’ by Katherine Lu. Location: Singapore
I have committed to spending part of every day looking for at least one beautiful thing, and sharing what I find with you lovelies!
April 15, 2017 at 6:30 am
I very thrilled on how you bring out the wonderful nature we are blessed with 👏
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April 15, 2017 at 8:18 am
I really do have a lot of fun looking for beautiful things, and I’m lucky enough to always find them!
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April 15, 2017 at 6:42 am
A post that makes me more aware of the complexity and beauty of our world–thank you for bringing these photos to our attention. About that Imp of Darkness…he’s frightening but amazing at the same time!
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April 15, 2017 at 8:18 am
I agree about the imp (such a perfect photo name). I recommend you go to the website and see the photos full size. Very impressive!
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April 15, 2017 at 8:02 am
Absolutely beautiful, breathtaking photography. Reading this was a lovely way to start the weekend.
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April 15, 2017 at 8:22 am
You’re a doll. Thank you! I thought you’d want to show the contest’s website to your kids. There are more than a hundred photos, and they’re spectacular!
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April 15, 2017 at 9:35 am
That’s exactly what I intend to do once I’m logged on on a bigger screen. 😀
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April 15, 2017 at 10:03 am
Did you watch April give birth this morning?
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April 15, 2017 at 10:18 am
No. I think I’m the one person in the nation who hasn’t been following the gestating giraffe.
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April 15, 2017 at 11:30 am
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April 16, 2017 at 8:21 am
Baby giraffes are adorable. More importantly, now I won’t be seeing cryptic messages all over Facebook that actually relate to this giraffe’s pregnancy.
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April 16, 2017 at 2:43 pm
True!
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April 15, 2017 at 8:24 am
I’ve always loved pictures from under the sea. Thanks for sharing these.
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April 15, 2017 at 8:26 am
I feel the same. As a child, I was so disappointed to learn that I couldn’t breathe underwater. I’m still pretty bummed about that.
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April 15, 2017 at 8:29 am
OMG! Right? I think that’s why I don’t like to swim, now.
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April 15, 2017 at 10:03 am
I love to swim, but I’m still really disappointed I’m not a mermaid.
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April 15, 2017 at 11:16 am
Wow! These pictures are stunning. I think my favourite would have to be “Your home and my home”. I think I just like Finding Nemo too much.
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April 15, 2017 at 11:29 am
I’m a little obsessed with that movie, too!
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April 15, 2017 at 11:59 am
OMG Amazing pix, so beautiful!!
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April 15, 2017 at 12:10 pm
They really are fantastic!
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April 15, 2017 at 12:24 pm
The Wreck of the Louilla at Sunset. I know I should see tragedy; lives lost, irreparable harm to the environment, and more. Oddly, I see the beauty in this.
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April 15, 2017 at 12:51 pm
I love that one!
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April 15, 2017 at 6:57 pm
Wow! I love underwater photography and these are fantastic!! As a diver and an underwater photographer wanna-be I know how unbelievably hard it is to capture images of the world under the sea. So delightful to see these.
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April 15, 2017 at 8:57 pm
We have a pretty good underwater camera, but the water by us isn’t really clear enough to get anything good.
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April 15, 2017 at 7:01 pm
These are some stunning shots! They capture the oceans true beauty perfectly, I have a hope stunning imagery like this will inspire others to help protect our amazing oceans ❤
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April 15, 2017 at 8:57 pm
I share your hope!
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April 16, 2017 at 8:45 am
Stunning photos indeed!!!
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April 16, 2017 at 2:43 pm
They’re pretty incredible.
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April 17, 2017 at 6:19 am
Love your photos!
On my blog you may travel digitally throughout Norway. (And it’s all free!) More than 6000 pictures – all in ‘full screen’ – from cities, municipalities, from tourist destinations or just plain Norwegian nature at its best.
Everything is texted in English as well as Norwegian. Please enjoy!
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April 17, 2017 at 7:11 am
Looking forward to checking them out. (By the way, not my photos.)
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April 18, 2017 at 8:11 am
These really are amazing! It’s a world we rarely get to see. Now to take on underground photography…
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April 18, 2017 at 8:38 am
Hmmm. You may have just invented something…
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April 18, 2017 at 8:44 am
I have enough archaeologist friends; I could give it a go.
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April 18, 2017 at 10:05 am
Hooray!
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July 2, 2017 at 10:38 pm
Incredible!!!!!!
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July 3, 2017 at 6:00 pm
I love this one!
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