Our World Underwater 2010

5TH ANNUAL OUR WORLD UNDERWATER INTERNATIONAL UNDERWATER PHOTO & VIDEO COMPETITION

HOSTED BY WETPIXEL & DIVEPHOTOGUIDE.COM

Over $45,000 In Prizes!

Popular underwater imaging websites Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com are proud to present the 5th annual international underwater photography and video competition, held in association with Our World Underwater. During a time when the oceans are in crisis, the competition celebrates the beauty and delicacy of the marine environment, as well as the art of underwater photography.

Often referred to as the “Superbowl” of international underwater imagery competitions, the Our World Underwater competition has categories for photographers and videographers of all levels, 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 Socorro, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Grand Cayman, Vietnam, Norway, the Solomon Islands,, and the Red Sea! Other prizes include underwater photography equipment, 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.

Winning images will be published by supporting print and online media partners worldwide. Winning videos will be broadcast on the Underwater Channel, 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.

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

Live Aboard Trips to Soccoro, Mexico

with Solmar V

Diving Wakatobi, or On Board Pelagian

with Wakatobi

Live Aboard Trips to Papua New Guinnea on Board FeBrina

with MV FeBrina

Dive Vietnam with Rainbow Divers

with Rainbow Divers

Cressi - Various Dive Equipment Packages

with Cressi

Strobes From SEA&SEA

with SEA&SEA

Red Sea Live Aboard Trip with Emperor Divers

with Emperor Divers

One Week in Grand Cayman With DiveTech & Cobalt Coast Resort

with DiveTech & Cobalt Coast Resort

Solomon Island Live Aboard Trip With Bilikiki Cruises

with Bilikiki Cruises

Diving The Fjords of Norway With Gulen Dive Resort

with Gulen Dive Resort

800i SLX Focus Lights From Nocturnal Lights

with Nocturnal Lights

Flashlights From Ikelite

with Ikelite

Signed Books from Wyland

with Wyland

Competition Judges

PHOTO JUDGES

Berkley White Berkley White is a leading expert in the field of underwater photography and digital image processing. As a professional photographer and instructor, he shares his in-field photographic techniques and digital methods through a series of select travel events each year. Berkley is the founder of Backscatter in Monterey, California, the largest specialty underwater photographic supplier in the US, and is the organizer of international photographic events such as the Digital Shootout.

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.

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

Eric Cheng Eric Cheng is an underwater photographer who has become known around the world for his expertise in underwater imaging. He has meticulously documented his travels around the world, and has been published in numerous publications, both in print and on the web. In 2003, Eric was awarded a prestigious Antibes Festival award for his work with Wetpixel.com, the Antibes underwater imaging web site of the year, and in 2005, he won a category in the prestigious Nature's Best Magazine photo competition, which has placed some of his work in the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. Eric also leads trips and has given workshops and seminars in locations around the world.

Eric owns and runs Wetpixel.com, the premiere online resource for underwater photographers. Hosting over 6,150 registered underwater photographers internationally, Wetpixel's friendly community offers breaking news, reviews, features, community forums, image galleries, photo contests, photo expeditions, and more.

Eric's underwater images can be found on personal website: http://echeng.com/travel/

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

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

Mary Lynn Price

Mary Lynn Price is a video journalist and producer, founder of DiveFilm.com. She is the executive producer of the iTunes featured podcast, DiveFilm HD Video, and is a founding organizer of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition. She teaches video editing and storytelling on land and at sea, and is an Apple certified pro in Final Cut Pro 7. More about Mary Lynn can be found at her website, marylynnprice.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.