Our World Underwater 2009 | UnderwaterCompetition.com

4th Annual Wetpixel & DivePhotoGuide Competition at Our World Underwater

4th ANNUAL WETPIXEL & DIVEPHOTOGUIDE INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER PHOTO & VIDEO COMPETITION

IN ASSOCIATION WITH OUR WORLD UNDERWATER

Over $45,000 In Prizes

Popular websites Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com have teamed up again in association with Our World Underwater to celebrate the beauty and delicacy of the marine environment with the announcement of the 4th annual, international underwater photography and video competition. The competition has become the “Superbowl” of international underwater imagery competitions, with world-class prizes, celebrity judges, and the opportunity to have your images showcased to the world as some of the planet’s best.

Photographers & videographers will compete in seven still-image categories and two video categories, to win more than $45,000 in prizes including premium dive travel, underwater photo/video and diving equipment and more! Dive packages include trips to some of the top photo destinations in the world, including Socoros Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Grand Cayman, the Solomon Islands and Vietnam! Other prizes include camera housings, strobes, lighting systems, and other valuable items. The competition includes a category for images that focus on conservation and the marine environment, and one specifically for entries taken by compact digital cameras.

A panel of esteemed judges including leading professional underwater photographers, cinematographers and magazine editors will select winners after the Jan 15, 2009 deadline. A formal announcement of judges will follow.

Winning images will be published by supporting media partners worldwide, and Divefilm.com will be podcasting the winning videos as episodes of the iTunes-featured DiveFilm Podcast Video and DiveFilm High Definition Podcast Video.

As with all Wetpixel & DivePhotoGuide events, 15% of proceeds will be donated to marine conservation efforts.

Entry Fee: $10 per image and video

Rules & Guidelines

Categories

PHOTOS

Macro Traditional

Any underwater image of a 7x5 inch or smaller picture area. The "Traditional" divisions allow for the adjustment of brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness only. Cropping, cloning, and other digital manipulation is not allowed in this category. This restriction on digital manipulation will enable people who are not as savvy at Photoshop to compete on more-or-less even ground as those with more experience. It also highlights composition and lighting skills by not allowing cropping and cloning. Before selecting winning entries, we reserve the right to audit your original RAW or JPG files. Our judges are digital photography experts, so please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category.

Macro Unrestricted

Any underwater image of a 7x5 inch or smaller picture area.The "Unrestricted" divisions have no such rules regarding digital manipulation. Anything goes, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.

Super Macro Traditional

Any underwater image of a 24mm x 36mm (0.95in x 1.4in) or smaller picture area. The "Traditional" divisions allow for the adjustment of brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness only. Cropping, cloning, and other digital manipulation is not allowed in this category. This restriction on digital manipulation will enable people who are not as savvy at Photoshop to compete on more-or-less even ground as those with more experience. It also highlights composition and lighting skills by not allowing cropping and cloning. Before selecting winning entries, we reserve the right to audit your original RAW or JPG files. Our judges are digital photography experts, so please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category.

Wide Angle Traditional

Underwater images larger than a 7x5 inch picture area. The "Traditional" divisions allow for the adjustment of brightness, contrast, color, and sharpness only. Cropping, cloning, and other digital manipulation is not allowed in this category. This restriction on digital manipulation will enable people who are not as savvy at Photoshop to compete on more-or-less even ground as those with more experience. It also highlights composition and lighting skills by not allowing cropping and cloning. Before selecting winning entries, we reserve the right to audit your original RAW or JPG files. Our judges are digital photography experts, so please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category.

Wide Angle Unrestricted

Underwater images larger than a 7x5 inch picture area. The "Unrestricted" divisions have no rules regarding digital manipulation. Anything goes, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.

Compact Cameras

Underwater images of all kinds, taken by point 'n shoot, non-SLR digital cameras. In this category, no entries from scanned slides or digital SLRs will be accepted. Although there exist many great underwater images taken by point 'n shoot cameras, it is often difficult for them to compete with SLRs when it comes to image quality. In this category, digital manipulation is allowed, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.

Novice

Since participating in competitions is a way to progress one's photography, we have established a new Novice category. This category is specifically for amateur and novice photographers who do not want to compete with more established photographers. Ultimately the final decision to compete in this category is yours, however, we have established some basic guidelines and restrictions. 1. Have been shooting underwater less than 5 years 2. Never placed (1st, 2nd, 3rd) in a major competition 3. Never won more than $100 (value) in a photo competition 4. Never licensed an image for more than $100.

Environment and Conservation

Topside and underwater images of all kinds, taken by any camera, with a focus on the marine or lake environment and conservation. Subject matter must address a marine or lake-related environmental issue. The goal in this category is to convey a real-world message.

VIDEOS

General

Any film five minutes or less in duration, and at least 50% of the footage must be shot underwater.

Conservation

Marine Conservation themed films, five minutes or less in duration, and at least 50% of the footage must be shot underwater. Conservation videos will be expected to have a conservation message or emphasis, which can be explicit or subtle.

Prizes

(2) Live Aboard Trips to Soccoro, Mexico

with Solmar V

9 days on board our liveaboard dive vessel, Solmar V to the Socorro Islands. The Revillagigedos Archipelago, more commonly called Socorro is located in the eastern Pacific Ocean approximately 250 miles south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, at the tip of the Baja peninsula. These islands have been compared to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador or Cocos Island in Costa Rica because of the big animal encounters they provide.

Your prize includes accommodation, diving, tanks and weights, and meals.

(2) Diving Wakatobi, or On Board Pelagian

with Wakatobi

10 days at our world class dive resort, Wakatobi, or on board our liveaboard dive vessel, Pelagian. Your prize includes accommodation, diving, tanks and weights, meals, and round trip airfare aboard our private charter flight from Bali to Wakatobi, for one person.

(2) Vietnam Diving with Ranbow Divers & Sunrise Beach Resort

with Rainbow Divers & Sunrise Beach Resort

6 nights / 5 days of diving with Rainbow Divers and Sunrise Beach Resort in Vietnam. Includes diving and accommodations.

(2) Diving In Papua New Guinnea With Walindi Plantation Resort

with Walindi Resort

7 nights accommodation for one person (either single or twin share bungalow) and 6 days diving at Walindi Dive Resort. Your prize includes single or twin share accommodation in a beachfront bungalow, 6 days diving from the resort, tanks and weight belt, all meals, airport transfers and daily light laundry service.

(6) Strobes & Housings From SEA&SEA

with SEA&SEA

A variety of prizes from SEA&SEA including 2 x YS350, 2x YS110, 2 polycarbonate housings, and 2 gift certificates for discounts on new MDX hosuings

(6) Mares - Various Dive Equipment Packages

with Mares

With the addition of Mares patented Liquidskin technology, the X-Vision now offers comfort that was formerly impossible. By co-molding two different types of silicone, there is no longer a need to compromise comfort in order to support the frame structure of a mask.

(2) Red Sea Live Aboard Trip with Emperor Divers

with Emperor Divers

One week on board one of the liveaboard dive vessels in our Red Sea Emperor Fleet Your prize includes accommodation, diving, tanks and weights, and meals.

(2) One Week in Grand Cayman With DiveTech & Cobalt Coast Resort

with DiveTech & Cobalt Coast Resort

You have won a one week package, including accommodations and diving the North Wall of Grand Cayman

(1) Solomon Island Live Aboard Trip With Bilikiki Cruises

with Bilikiki Cruises

7 night voyage on board either of our live aboard dive vessels, MV Bilikiki or Spirit of the Solomons, in the Solomon Islands. Your prize includes diving, accommodations, and meals.

(12) Flashlights From Ikelite

with Ikelite

Select winners will receive either a PC LED or PCa Halogen light.

(1) SLX Focus Lights From Nocturnal Lights

with Nocturnal Lights

SLX focus light

(6) Signed Books from Wyland

with Wyland

Signed books from Wyland.

Competition Judges

PHOTO JUDGES

Cor Bosman

Cor Bosman is a freelance underwater photographer specializing in marine life and behavior. After a successful career in Computer Science he picked up diving 15 years ago with his wife Julie Edwards. Traveling several months of the year they form a strong photography duo that regularly publishes articles and photos in magazines. Cor has received several awards, including a first prize in Our World Underwater and a Best of Show in the Underwater Images Competition. In recent years he has been a staff member at Wetpixel.com. More about Cor and Julie on http://underwa.ter.net

David Doubilet David Doubilet is considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues the world over. He has photographed over 60 stories for the National Geographic Magazine where he is currently a Contributing Photographer-in-Residence. David has documented our changing underwater world since his first assignment with the Geographic in 1971. In addition to the Geographic, David’s work continues to appear in countless publications worldwide and he is a contributing editor and feature columnists for the Behind the Shot in Sport Diver Magazine (US) and Seascapes and Dive Magazine (UK). He has authored seven books on the sea, and is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including: The Sara Prize, The Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award and the Lennart Nilsson Award in Photography. David is a member of both the Royal Photographic Society and International Diving Hall of fame.

Dietmar Fuchs

Dietmar Fuchs is the editor-in-chief of Germany's largest scuba diving magazine, Unterwasser.

Born in Germany in 1958. Dietmar was a Jet-Pilot in the German Air Force from 1978 –1982. 1982 –1984 he became a Divemaster/1st Officer on a Swiss Treasure-Hunter in the Caribbean. 1984 –1985 Dive Instructor and Charterboat-Captain in Caribbean. 1985 – 1993 Studied Marine Biology in Munich Maximilian University and in 1994 earned a Master in Marine Biology with a Rolex Award for »Strombus« Research. From 1988 – 1993 Dietmar was Editor in Chief of Swiss Scuba-Magazine »Aquananut«. Since 1994 Dietmar has held the position of Editor in Chief of German Scuba Magazine »Unterwasser«. In 2008 Dietmar also launched UW-Photo-Magazine »Fifty Fathoms«.

Dr. Alexander Mustard Dr Alexander Mustard is both a marine biologist and also a part of a 'new wave' of up-and coming young underwater photographers who have challenged our perceptions of what we see underwater, Alex has won many awards for his photography including being a multiple winner in both the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and World Festival of Underwater Photography in Antibes, France. His new book "The Art Of Diving", a collaboration with author Nick Hanna, is not just a photo collection but is an exploration of why we love to dive, and has been described by David Doubilet as "the best book about diving since Jacques Cousteau's The Silent World." He is founder of the Young Underwater Photographer's Group, the Digital Officer for the British Society of Underwater Photographers and a Co-Administrator of Wetpixel.com. Alex is also the brains behind Magic filters - filters designed specifically for available light underwater photography with digital cameras.

More about Alex at http://amustard.com

VIDEO JUDGES

Eric Hanauer

Eric Hanuer published his first underwater image and article, in Skin Diver magazine, in 1977. Over the past 30 years, his photos and articles have been published in magazines, books, posters, and CDs worldwide. He has written guidebooks to the Red Sea and Micronesia, as well as an oral history of diving in America (ehanauer.com). Recently Hanauer began shooting underwater video, and his work as been selected for showing in festivals, on the internet, on iTunes, and in TV commercials.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany and raised in Chicago, Eric was educated in the Chicago Public Schools, then earned a BS in Physical Education at George Williams College, and an MS in Physical Education at UCLA. His wife, Karen Straus, is also an active diver and underwater photographer. They live in San Diego. More about Eric can be found on his website www.ehanauer.com

Ric Frazier Born and raised in Texas, Ric’s photographic journey began with participating in and shooting the skateboarding scene. Many scrapes and scars later, swimming with the sharks seemed like an equally stimulating experience. This led this aqua man to pursue his interests at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. Over Ten years later, having become one of the most skilled, experienced and versatile underwater photographer in the world, Ric has redefined the art of underwater photography shooting everything ranging from people, props and sets, to ocean life. With a focus on advertising and editorial, Ric offers a relaxed and efficient working environment however complex or simple the shot or campaign. Recently he has shot for advertising clients such as Bayer, Mcdonald’s, MTV, and Shell Oil, as well as recent editorial clients Elle, ESPN, GQ, People, and Shape.

Ric's website: Frazierproductions.com

Steve Douglas

Steve Douglas is a certified Apple Pro for Final Cut Pro 6 and underwater videographer. A winner of the 1999 Pacific Coast Underwater Film Competition, 2003 IVIE competition, 2004 Los Angeles Underwater Photographic competition, and the prestigious 2005 International Beneath the Sea Film Competition, where he also won the Stan Waterman Award for Excellence in Underwater Videography and 'Diver of the Year', Steve was a safety diver on the feature film "The Deep Blue Sea", contributed footage to the Seaworld Park's Atlantis production, the History channel's MegaDisaster show, and his first, recently aired National Geographic special segment on Marlin. Steve is a feature writer for Asian Diver Magazine and the Final Cut Pro editing websites, www.kenstone.net and www.lafcpug.org and continues to conduct filming and editing seminars for both private and group audiences. A regular speaker and presenter for many dive clubs, Steve is one of the founding organizers of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition and leads both underwater filming expeditions and African safaris.