The World’s Premier Underwater Photography Competition Announces Stunning Winners for 2024

The Ocean Art Underwater Photography Competition, widely regarded as the pinnacle of achievement for underwater photographers, has revealed its winners for 2024. With record-breaking participation from over 90 countries, the competition set a new standard for creativity and technical excellence. From mesmerizing macro shots of marine birth to dramatic wide-angle scenes of cenotes and reefscapes, the winning photographs highlight the beauty, fragility, and diversity of underwater ecosystems while inspiring global conservation efforts.

Winning photos can be seen at the Underwater Photography Guide at https://www.uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art-contest-winners-2024

Best In Show

The coveted Best in Show ranking was awarded to Eduardo Labat for his breathtaking image, “Dancing White Tips,” (see main image) taken at Roca Partida, Revillagigedo, Mexico. Labat’s photograph captured a synchronous ballet of white-tip reef sharks in black & white.

Category Highlights

This year’s winners excelled across 14 categories, two highlights included:

• Black & White: This category was highly competitive this year, celebrating the dramatic interplay of light and shadow in underwater photography:
• Conservation: This category featured the dramatic plight of Floridian springs as well as an image of a shark captured in a ghost net. This image symbolized the devastating impact of abandoned fishing gear and underscores the competition’s ongoing support for Ghost Diving, a nonprofit organization dedicated to removing marine debris.

Behind the Lens

Every winning photograph tells a story of perseverance and connection to the ocean. These are just a small selection of the incredible stories and experiences told throughout the competiiton:

• Born from Mouth: Yoichi Sato recounts an incredible moment with a male Cardinalfish releases a swarm of freshly hatched babies from its mouth.
• Hunting: Kyungshin Kim’s recounts a captivating moment of squid cannibalism while floating in the open ocean at night.
• Fevered: Brittany Ilardi’s dramatic image of mobula rays off Baja California reflects the unique choreography of this species.

Organizers and Sponsors Speak

“This year’s Ocean Art competition was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Nirupam Nigam, organizer of the contest and President of Bluewater Photo & Editor-in-Chief of the Underwater Photography Guide. “The talent and vision displayed by our participants have set new benchmarks for underwater photography. These images do more than win awards; they captivate hearts and minds, reaching millions globally and reminding us of our shared responsibility to protect the ocean’s beauty. It’s an honor to see the competition grow in scope and impact every year.”

This year’s judging panel included world-renowned experts in underwater photography including Tony Wu, Marty Snyderman, and Mark Strickland. A special thanks goes to Canon and Marelux Ambassador Ipah Uid Lynn, who joined as a new judge to bring fresh perspectives to the Underwater Digital Art and Underwater Fashion categories. Ipah is an inspiring woman who has pushed the bounds of underwater photography in a male-dominated field. Marelux also played a key role in supporting the competition by sponsoring the top prizes for underwater camera gear.

Over $60,000 in Prizes

The Ocean Art Underwater Photography Competition has always been known for having a massive endowment – this year over $60,000 in prizes! Ocean Art prizes are provided by some of the world’s top scuba diving resorts, liveaboard dive yachts, and underwater photo gear manufacturers. Grand prizes include a 7-night dive package at Anthony’s Key Resort in Roatan, Honduras; an 8-day dive trip to the Galapagos aboard the Aqua Liveaboard; a 10-night liveaboard dive trip aboard the MV Oceania in Papua New Guinea; a 7-night liveaboard dive trip aboard the Bilikiki in the Solomon Islands; a 14-night dive trip to Ambon, Indonesia with Spice Island Divers; an 8-day/7-night dive package (12 dives) for two at Meridian Adventure Dive Resort in Raja Ampat, Indonesia; a 10-day/9- night dive trip aboard the Liveaboard Mermaid I or Mermaid II in Raja Ampat or Komodo; a 7-night dive cruise aboard Coralia in Indonesia; a 4-night dive trip for two divers (4 dives each) at Atmosphere Resort & Spa in the Philippines; a 5-day/4-night stay with 7 dives for two people at Akaya Bali & All 4 Diving; a 6-night dive package at Aiyanar Dive Resort in Anilao, Philippines; a 7-night dive package with El Galleon/Asia Divers in Puerto Galera, Philippines; a buy-one-get-one-free 10-dive package with Sea Saba; two Marelux Apollo III Strobes with Lumilink; two Marelux Apollo S Strobes with Lumilink; a Marelux SOFT Lite Snoot with Dock; Marelux Auto Pumps; Marelux Flexibouys; an Ikelite DS-230 Strobe with a modeling light; a $300 gift certificate with Ultralight Camera Solutions; and a variety of gift certificates from Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel.

Exhibition and Global Recognition

Winning images will be showcased in over 250 global media outlets, including prestigious print, online, and TV publications. These images continue to inspire audiences, reinforcing the importance of marine conservation and the incredible artistry of underwater photography.

Complete list of winners:

Best in Show

“Dancing White Tips” by Eduardo Labat

Wide Angle

1st Place: Hwanhee Kim

2nd Place: Julian Gunther

3rd Place: Todd Aki

4th Place: Mehmet A. Gungen

5th Place: Julian Gunther

Honorable Mention: Eduardo Acevedo

Honorable Mention: McKenzie Spalding

Macro

1st Place: Adam Martin

2nd Place: Imogen Manins

3rd Place: Claudio Zori

4th Place: Jeongin Kim

Honorable Mention: Dr. Tom Shlesinger

Honorable Mention: Suliman Alatiqi

Marine Life Behavior

1st Place: Yoichi Sato

2nd Place: Reiko Takahashi

3rd Place: Kirsty Andrews

4th Place: Suliman Alatiqi

5th Place: Keigo Kawamura

Honorable Mention: Ines Goovaerts

Honorable Mention: Shuo-Wei Chang

Portrait

1st Place: Stefano Cerbai

2nd Place: Eduardo Acevedo

3rd Place: Martin Broen

4th Place: Ariel Gliboff

5th Place: Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto

Honorable Mention: Olivier Clement

Honorable Mention: Földi László

Coldwater

1st Place: James Emery

2nd Place: Kat Zhou

3rd Place: Jeongin Kim

Honorable Mention: Massimo Zannini

Honorable Mention: Jill Crosby

Nudibranch

1st Place: Borut Furlan

2nd Place: Jenny Stock

3rd Place: David Pleuvret

4th Place: Ken Keong Chong

Honorable Mention: Mark Chang

Blackwater

1st Place: Kyungshin Kim

2nd Place: Kat Zhou

3rd Place: Yoichi Sato

4th Place: Steven Kovacs

Honorable Mention: Enrico Somogyi

Honorable Mention: Bo Pardau

Underwater Conservation

1st Place: Kimber Greenwood

2nd Place: Tom Vierus

3rd Place: Dawn McDonald

Honorable Mention: Olivier Clement

Underwater Digital Art

1st Place: Unkoo Kim

2nd Place: Jenny Stock

3rd Place: Lorenzo Terraneo

Black & White

1st Place: Eduardo Labat

2nd Place: Sylvie Ayer

3rd Place: Borut Furlan

Honorable Mention: Brittany Ilardi

Honorable Mention: Xaime Beiro

Underwater Fashion

1st Place: Lucie Drlikova

2nd Place: Anna Aita

3rd Place: Claudia Weber-Gebert

Compact Wide Angle

1st Place: Marco Lausdei

2nd Place: Enrico Somogyi

3rd Place: Marco Lausdei

Honorable Mention: Jack Berthomier

Honorable Mention: Nancy Berg

Compact Macro

1st Place: Naomi Springett

2nd Place: Enrico Somogyi

3rd Place: Jayson Apostol

Honorable Mention: Kathrin Landgraf- Kluge

Compact Behavior

1st Place: Naomi Springett

2nd Place: Nemer Chua

3rd Place: Wendy Biscette

Honorable Mention: Grzegorz Krysiak

The Underwater Photography Guide is the #1 destination for all things underwater photography. Featuring highly-regarded tutorials, technique tips, in-depth gear reviews, amazing international workshops and breaking u/w photo news, UWPG is here to help divers around the world achieve their photo and video goals. For more information, please visit http://www.uwphotographyguide.com

Op-ed by Beth Brady, PhD, Senior Science and Conservation Associate, Save the Manatee® Club

Recent news articles and broadcasts have claimed that manatees are not native to Florida or only arrived on Florida’s west coast in the 1950s. These claims, based on limited anthropological records, point to where manatees were historically exploited by humans and assume that a lack of evidence means manatees were absent from certain areas. However, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence—it’s like looking for stars in the daytime; just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there. Moreover, genetic and fossil evidence indicate manatees have been present in Florida for the last 12,000 years.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which manages Florida manatee populations, has created a manatee timeline highlighting key dates and notable information about manatee presence in Florida (https://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/manatee/timeline/). Historical records suggest that manatees have been observed in Florida as far back as the 1500s, with some details presented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife timeline aligning with evidence presented in the publication.

Manatee species, such as the African manatee and the Antillean manatee, continue to be poached by humans (Marsh et al., 2022). As a result, these species are difficult to observe in the wild and may adapt by foraging at night to avoid human encounters (Rycyk et al., 2021). This behavior could help explain why historical Florida manatee populations that were hunted by humans are absent from middens and rarely mentioned in historical accounts.

Further, the publication only briefly touches on the paleontological record and genetic evidence, which indicate that manatees have existed in Florida for a much longer period. Fossil and genetic evidence reveal a rich history of manatees in Florida. Manatees belong to the order Sirenia, which includes the Amazonian, African, and West Indian manatee species. While Sirenian fossils have been found globally, only Florida and the Caribbean contain specimens from every epoch over the past 50 million years (Reep and Bonde, 2006). The modern manatee, as we know it, emerged in the Caribbean about 2 million years ago (Domning, 1982).

The evolution of manatees during the Pleistocene epoch provides valuable insights into how environmental changes shaped their distribution and genetic diversity. During the Pleistocene epoch (2.59 million to 11,700 years ago), there were roughly 20 cycles of long glacial periods (40,000–100,000 years) followed by shorter interglacial periods lasting around 20,000 years. At the start of these warmer periods, Caribbean manatees migrated northward with the warming waters (Reep and Bonde, 2006). Water currents and thermal barriers isolated these manatees from populations in Mexico and the Caribbean, leading to genetic divergence. Fossil evidence indicates that Trichechus manatus bakerorum lived in Florida and North Carolina about 125,000 years ago but did not survive the last glacial period, which began 100,000 to 85,000 years ago (Domning, 2005). This subspecies was eventually replaced by modern Florida manatees.

This evolutionary theory is further supported by genetic evidence. Research indicates that Florida manatees trace their evolutionary origins to Caribbean ancestors that migrated northward over the past 12,000 years (Garcia-Rodriguez et al., 1998). A 2012 study by Tucker et al. reinforces this theory, showing higher genetic diversity in manatees on Florida’s west coast compared to those on the east. Over time, core populations migrated northward, with some groups moving south and east along the Florida coastline before heading north along the Atlantic. This migration pattern left the west coast population with greater genetic diversity, while the east coast population retained only a smaller subset. These findings suggest that the founding population of Florida manatees—arriving approximately 12,000 years ago—originated along Florida’s southwestern coast, which became the center of the state’s manatee population (Reep and Bonde, 2006). The process of vicariance further supports this hypothesis; as geographic and ecological barriers emerged, they likely isolated the Florida manatee populations from their Caribbean ancestors. This isolation likely limited migration back and forth between regions, fostering the establishment of local populations in southwestern Florida.

Manatees are not only a cherished symbol of Florida’s natural heritage but also a species with deep evolutionary and historical ties to the region. In sum, despite recent claims questioning their nativity, extensive fossil and genetic evidence confirms that manatees have been present in Florida’s waters for thousands of years, with ancestors dating back over 12,000 years. We agree with the authors of the published article that protecting these iconic creatures and their habitats is essential to preserving Florida’s unique ecological identity for future generations

Beth Brady is the Senior Science and Conservation Associate at Save the Manatee Club whose work focuses on manatee biology and conservation. She has her PhD from Florida Atlantic University and her Master’s in Marine Science from Nova Southeastern University.

savethemanatee.org