Categories
Code: (PO)
Images should reveal the personality, presence, and spirit of a marine animal or fish. Beyond likeness, the photograph should convey intimacy, tenderness, or emotional connection. Judges encourage photographers to push beyond conventional portraiture through perspective, lighting, or moment—creating a compelling, expressive encounter between subject and viewer.
2. Fish Behaviour – the Dr Gerry Allen Award of Excellence
Code: (FB)
Images must deliver immediate impact—a true WOW factor. Submissions should capture rare, dramatic, or visually compelling fish behaviour. Passive moments such as resting, hovering, or staring are insufficient. Judges seek authentic behaviour paired with strong composition, aesthetic clarity, and visual drama.
3. Animal Behaviour – the Doug Perrine Award of Excellence
Code: (AB)
This category celebrates extraordinary behaviour of marine animals other than fish. Images should depict rare, fleeting, or previously undocumented interactions or actions. Strong visual storytelling, authenticity, and dramatic impact are essential. Judges favour images that expand our understanding of animal behaviour while remaining aesthetically powerful.
4. Black & White Print – the Ernie Brooks II Award of Excellence
Code: (BW)
Images may be captured underwater or around water and can feature animals or seascapes. Successful entries will demonstrate mastery of tonal range, contrast, texture, and composition—using black, white, and greys to reveal form, mood, and narrative strength.
5. Aesthetic Print – the Valerie Taylor Award of Excellence
Code: (CP)
Images may be underwater or waterside and feature animals or seascapes. Judges will look for strong composition, colour harmony, effective use of light and shadow, and visual depth. Aesthetic appeal and emotional resonance are key.
6. Coral Reefs of the World – the Dr Carden Wallace Award of Excellence
Code: (CRW)
This category celebrates the grandeur and complexity of coral reef ecosystems. Images should be landscape-oriented compositions showcasing hard or soft corals, biodiversity, density, or scale. Creative lighting and strong spatial awareness should evoke a sense of underwater wilderness and awe.
7. Creative Vision – the Dr Pascal Lecocq Award of Excellence
Code: (CV)
Judges seek imaginative, original, and artistically bold interpretations of the ocean. Images may be abstract, ambiguous, or conceptual—captured intertidally, at the surface, or underwater. Technical execution must be precise, with a clear creative intent and thoughtful visual process. In-camera multiple exposures are permitted.
8. Small Exotic Animals – the Neville Coleman Award of Excellence
Code: (SXA)
Designed for macro and close-up specialists, this category celebrates portraits or behaviour of small, often overlooked marine creatures. Images should convey character, intimacy, and detail—pushing beyond standard macro imagery through composition, lighting, or storytelling.
9. Human & Ocean – the Stephen Frink Award of Excellence
Code: (HO)
Images must include a human presence within an underwater scene. The human subject should not dominate the image but act as a scale reference or visual guide—enhancing appreciation of the animal or environment. Creative lighting and compositional balance are essential, with an emphasis on environmental awareness.
10. Open Water (Pelagic Zone) – the Brian Skerry Award of Excellence
Code: (OWD)
This category focuses on pelagic species inhabiting open ocean or deep water (generally beyond 100 m). Images must clearly identify the species and convey the pelagic habitat. Location and depth must be stated in the file name. Judges look for clarity, context, and environmental authenticity.
11. Black & Blue Water Exploration – the Dr William Hamner Award of Excellence
Code: (BLW)
This category showcases planktonic and midwater life photographed in open water, day or night. Emphasis is on rarely seen species, deep-sea migrants, and larval stages. Judges seek images that reveal the hidden complexity of the pelagic realm and expand public awareness of this largely unseen ecosystem.
12. Endangered Marine Animals – the Sylvia Earle Award of Excellence
Code: (EMA)
This category raises awareness of marine species at risk of extinction. Submissions must feature species listed on the IUCN Red List (RE, CR, EN, VU, NT/LR). Images should highlight the beauty, vulnerability, or habitat of endangered animals—communicating urgency, respect, and conservation relevance.
Reference: https://www.iucnredlist.org
Submission requirement: Six images (wide-angle, macro, or mixed).
13. Emerging Photographer of the Year – the Dr Alex Mustard Award of Excellence
Code: (OGN)
Open to emerging photographers. All images must be captured after 1 January 2019. Submissions may include fish, marine animals, birds, plants, or seascapes. Judges prioritise originality, visual strength, and storytelling over rarity of subject.
Submission requirement: Three images (wide-angle, macro, or mixed).
14. Music & Pictures – the Michael AW Award of Excellence
Code: (MAP)
This category invites a short film created from a photographic slideshow set to music. The work must be thematic and ocean-focused. All images must be captured by the entrant. Music must be original or properly licensed. Emotional coherence, pacing, and narrative flow will be judged.
15. Smartphone Pictures & Videos – the Jennifer Hayes Award of Outstanding Achievement
Code: (SMP)
Open exclusively to images and videos captured and edited on smartphones. This category celebrates accessibility and storytelling—encouraging participants to share ocean experiences widely, especially through social platforms. Judges look for creativity, clarity, and emotional impact rather than technical complexity.
16. Emerging Ocean Geographic Photo-Journalist – Merit of Excellence
Code: (OGP)
Open to underwater photographers and writers. Submissions must include a first-person essay (minimum 800 words) focused on conservation, natural history, or discovery, accompanied by 8–12 supporting images captured by the entrant. Strong narrative voice and visual-text integration are essential.
17. Vision of the Sea Movie – the Howard Hall Award for Outstanding Achievement
Code: (MO)
At least 60% of the video must feature marine species or marine protected areas. Films may celebrate pristine environments or expose threatened ones in need of urgent protection. Messages may be hopeful or confronting. Judges assess storytelling strength, visual excellence, and conservation impact.
18. OG Emerging Master Portfolio – the David Doubilet Award of Excellence
Code: (PA)
A prestigious portfolio award recognising photographic excellence with purpose. Entrants submit 10 images forming a cohesive or stylistically diverse body of work. Portfolios should inspire love for the ocean or confront environmental threats. Judges value authenticity, emotional resonance, and memorable visual storytelling over shock alone.