The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest has announced the winners of 2018 competition. The best of the best have been chosen in eleven categories, among over 5000 entries from all around the world. We bring you the winning images in all categories, and they are all absolutely fantastic.
Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition based in the UK. The first underwater Photographer of the Year was named in 1965, and it was British photographer Phil Smith. Today, the competition has eleven categories and receives thousands of entries from all over the globe. These are the categories:
- Wide Angle
- Macro
- Wrecks
- Behaviour
- Portrait
- Black & White
- Compact
- Up & Coming
- British Waters Wide Angle
- British Waters Macro
- British Waters Compact
The international award for the Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018 goes to German photographer Tobias Friedrich. He captured a panorama of British World War II military vehicles deep inside a shipwreck in the Red Sea. The photo titled “Cycle War” and it’s also a winner in the “Wrecks” category. The photo was taken in Egypt and shows Norton 16H motorbikes loaded in Fordson WOT 3 trucks, with soldierfish schooling above. the photographer explains: “I had had this image in mind for a few years, but it is impossible to capture in one photo, because there is not space inside the wreck to photograph this scene in a single frame. My solution was take a series pictures and stitch them together as a panorama.”
© Tobias Friedrich/UPY 2018 (Germany): CYCLE-WAR, taken in Egypt
WINNER Underwater Photographer of the Year & Wrecks
As for the British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018, the title goes to Grant Thomas. He is a photographer from Glasgow now living in New Zealand. His photo of swans titled “Love Birds” was taken in Loch Lomond, Scotland, and it’s also a winner in the “British Waters Wide Angle” category. Thomas explains that he has always been “fascinated by over-under photography, connecting the everyday terrestrial world that we all know with the less familiar underwater secrets.” When he took the winning image, the swans were searching for food beneath the surface and he “just had to wait for that perfect moment of synchronicity.”
© Grant Thomas/UPY 2018 (UK): Love Birds, taken in Scotland
WINNER British Underwater Photographer of the Year & British Waters Wide Angle
The competition also recognizes the most promising photographers and promotes new photographic talents. Thus, Malaysian Man BD was named Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018 for his image “Roar.” The photo shows a pair of sea slugs with a gaping moray eel as a background, and it was captured in Indonesia. The Most Promising British Underwater Photographer 2018 is Tony Stephenson from the East Midlands in England. His photo “How Many Pike?” reveals pike courtship in Stoney Cove, Leicestershire.
© Tony Stephenson/UPY 2018 (UK): How many pike?, taken in England
HIGHLY COMMENDED & Most Promising British Underwater Photographer, category British Waters Wide Angle
Take a look at the remaining winning photos from 2018 Underwater Photographer of the Year.
© Greg Lecoeur/UPY 2018 (France): Humpback whale spy hopping, taken in Tonga
WINNER Wide Angle
© Shane Gross/UPY 2018 (Canada): Density, taken in Bahamas
WINNER Macro
© Filippo Borghi/UPY 2018 (Italy): the fisherman, taken in Japan
WINNER Behavior
© Tanya Houppermans/UPY 2018 (United States): A sand tiger shark surrounded by tiny bait fish, taken in United States of America
WINNER Portrait
© Borut Furlan/UPY 2018 (Slovenia): Crocodile reflections, taken in Cuba
WINNER Black and White
© Simone Matucci/UPY 2018 (New Zealand): Dancing with the giants, taken in Kingdom of Tonga
WINNER Compact
© ManBd UiDive/UPY 2018 (Malaysia): ROAR, taken in Indonesia
WINNER Up & Coming
© Henley Spiers/UPY 2018 (UK): Battle of the Tompots, taken in UK
WINNER British Waters Macro
© Vicky Paynter/UPY 2018 (UK): Scratchy Seal, taken in UK
WINNER British Waters Compact
If you’d like to learn more, check out UPY’s website and the entire gallery of winning images here. They have shared a fantastic yearbook you can download for free on this link, with top 110 photos from the 2018 competition, back-stories and much more.
