Photography

The stunning winners of this year's Ocean Art underwater photo contest

The stunning winners of this year's Ocean Art underwater photo contest
Crab-Eater Seal, by Greg Lecoeur, took first place in Cold Water and the overall Best of Show award in the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition
Crab-Eater Seal, by Greg Lecoeur, took first place in Cold Water and the overall Best of Show award in the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition
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Eye of the Hurricane, by Adam Martin: 3rd place in Wide Angle
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Eye of the Hurricane, by Adam Martin: 3rd place in Wide Angle
A Blur of Sweetlips, by Nicholas More: 1st place in Wide Angle
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A Blur of Sweetlips, by Nicholas More: 1st place in Wide Angle
Narcissism, by Tae Wook Kang: 4th place in Underwater Art
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Narcissism, by Tae Wook Kang: 4th place in Underwater Art
Hairy at Sunrise, by Enrico Somogyi: 2nd place in Underwater Art
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Hairy at Sunrise, by Enrico Somogyi: 2nd place in Underwater Art
Trapped, by Alessandro Grasso: 2nd place in Conservation
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Trapped, by Alessandro Grasso: 2nd place in Conservation
Victim, by Shane Gross: 1st place in Conservation
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Victim, by Shane Gross: 1st place in Conservation
Hiding in Flowers, by Leon Zhao: 2nd place in Supermacro
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Hiding in Flowers, by Leon Zhao: 2nd place in Supermacro
Clownfish Eggs, by Paolo Isgro: 1st place in Supermacro
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Clownfish Eggs, by Paolo Isgro: 1st place in Supermacro
Mangrove Soft Coral, by Nicholas More: 2nd place in Reefscapes
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Mangrove Soft Coral, by Nicholas More: 2nd place in Reefscapes
Look at Me, by Davide Lombroso, 2nd place in Portraits
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Look at Me, by Davide Lombroso, 2nd place in Portraits
Gaspare, by Virginia Salzedo: 1st place in Portraits
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Gaspare, by Virginia Salzedo: 1st place in Portraits
Sheep, by Andrea Pescarolo: 2nd place in Nudibranch
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Sheep, by Andrea Pescarolo: 2nd place in Nudibranch
Treats from Maloolaba River, by Jenny Stock: 1st place in Nudibranch
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Treats from Maloolaba River, by Jenny Stock: 1st place in Nudibranch
The Blue Arch, by George Kuo-Wei Kao: 2nd place in Novice Wide Angle
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The Blue Arch, by George Kuo-Wei Kao: 2nd place in Novice Wide Angle
Who Is It, by George Kuo-Wei Kao: 3rd place in Novice Macro
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Who Is It, by George Kuo-Wei Kao: 3rd place in Novice Macro
Seahorse Bus, by Jules Casey: 1st place in Novice Macro
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Seahorse Bus, by Jules Casey: 1st place in Novice Macro
Lethal Fluid, by Paolo Bausani: 2nd place in Marine Life Behavior
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Lethal Fluid, by Paolo Bausani: 2nd place in Marine Life Behavior
A Friendly Ride, by Paula Vianna: 1st place in Marine Life Behavior
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A Friendly Ride, by Paula Vianna: 1st place in Marine Life Behavior
Story, by Wu Yung-Sen: 2nd place in Macro
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Story, by Wu Yung-Sen: 2nd place in Macro
Radiography, by Stefano Cerbai: 1st place in Macro
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Radiography, by Stefano Cerbai: 1st place in Macro
Red Seafan in Jeju Island, by Minsik Roh: 2nd place in Compact Wide Angle
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Red Seafan in Jeju Island, by Minsik Roh: 2nd place in Compact Wide Angle
B-l-e-n-d-e-d, by Talia Greis: 1st place in Compact Wide Angle
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B-l-e-n-d-e-d, by Talia Greis: 1st place in Compact Wide Angle
Ponda Goby with Eggs, by Stan Chen: 2nd place in Compact Macro
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Ponda Goby with Eggs, by Stan Chen: 2nd place in Compact Macro
Lemon Goby, by Stan Chen: 1st place in Compact Macro
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Lemon Goby, by Stan Chen: 1st place in Compact Macro
Le Cocon Protecteur du Poisson Perroquet, by Fabien Martinazzo: 2nd place in Compact Behaviour
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Le Cocon Protecteur du Poisson Perroquet, by Fabien Martinazzo: 2nd place in Compact Behaviour
Open Mouth Grupper, by Ferenc Lorincz: 1st place in Compact Behavior
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Open Mouth Grupper, by Ferenc Lorincz: 1st place in Compact Behavior
Crab-Eater Seal, by Greg Lecoeur, took first place in Cold Water and the overall Best of Show award in the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition
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Crab-Eater Seal, by Greg Lecoeur, took first place in Cold Water and the overall Best of Show award in the 2019 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition
Blanket Octopus, by Paolo Bausani: 2nd place in Blackwater
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Blanket Octopus, by Paolo Bausani: 2nd place in Blackwater
Larval Tripod Fish, by Fabien Michenet: 1st place in Blackwater
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Larval Tripod Fish, by Fabien Michenet: 1st place in Blackwater
View gallery - 29 images

The annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, now in its eighth year, is a chance to get up close and personal with our marine cousins so many times removed. Here are all this year's winners and runners up in a spectacular photo gallery.

Thousands of entries from photographers in 78 countries have been evaluated across 17 categories by a panel of expert underwater snappers to determine this year's Ocean Art winners and distribute some US$85,000 worth of prizes. The contest is run by the Underwater Photography Guide, a website dedicated to the art, science, techniques and gear involved in shooting below the surface.

This year's overall winner: our hero image at the top of the page. Greg Lecoeur's joyful capture of a crab-eater seal is dynamic, fun, beautiful and just a tad cute. Other notable shots that caught our eye include Fabien Michenet's extraordinary frame of a larval tripod fish, which took out first in the brand new Blackwater category, giving us a transparent view of this little fella's developing skeleton and organs.

Larval Tripod Fish, by Fabien Michenet: 1st place in Blackwater
Larval Tripod Fish, by Fabien Michenet: 1st place in Blackwater

The other new category for this year's contest was Conservation, which drew in a collection of frankly tragic images highlighting some of humanity's terrible contributions to underwater life.

“I continue to be amazed by the wonderful images that today's underwater photographers are producing," says Underwater Photography Guide publisher Scott Geitler. "The two new categories, Conservation and Blackwater, were true standout categories. Especially the Conservation category – the winning images produce powerful emotion, and will influence a new generation of ocean conservation."

Victim, by Shane Gross: 1st place in Conservation
Victim, by Shane Gross: 1st place in Conservation

Jump into the gallery to see all the winners and runners-up from each category. Beautiful stuff.

Source: Ocean Art Awards

View gallery - 29 images
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