Free Stuff for Entrants
All entrants in the Compact Camera category will receive one free photo lesson from reknowned underwater photographer, Marty Snyderman, via TheUnderwaterphotographer.com

Winners will be announced online, published by our media partners worldwide and exhibited during the DEEP Indonesia Expo in Jakarta, Indonesia (March 28-30, 2008).

As with all UnderwaterCompetition.com events, 15% of entry proceeds will be donated to marine conservation efforts.
                                                
To submit images, please read our general rules and the submission guidelines. Prize list and category descriptions can be found on this page.

For questions about the competition, please contact us.

Note that the Environment and Conservation category allows for both topside and underwater images, while all other categories are underwater-only. Categories have been modeled from those used in The Digital Shootout, which Wetpixel has been involved with for the past few years.

1. Divers: Best image featuring a scuba diver underwater.
   
2. Animal Portrait: Best image featuring a portrait of an animal underwater.
   
3. Animal Behavior: Best image featuring underwater animal behavior.
   
4. Compact Camera: 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.
   
5. Reefscapes: Best image featuring the rich reefs around the world.
6. 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.
   
7. Indonesia Category: Open to Indonesian residents only

In all categories, digital manipulation is allowed. However, the goal should be to represent a photograph. We are not running a digital manipulation contest, and you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.

Stephen Frink

Stephen Frink is the world's most frequently published underwater photographer with editorial work appearing in Scuba Diving Magazine, for whom he is Director of Photography and writes a monthly column on underwater photo trends and techniques. His work has also been published in a wide variety of general interest publications, including Natural History, Glamour, Time, Newsweek, Islands, Travel and Leisure, Esquire, Fortune, Money, and National Geographic. Frink has authored a coffee table book entitled Wonders of the Reef, and teaches a school of underwater imaging in his home waters of Key largo, Florida.

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/

David Espinosa

David Espinosa is the Editor of Scuba Diver Australasia  (scubadiveraustralasia.com), the official publication of the PADI Diving Society in Asia Pacific. Though he prefers shooting video to still photography, he has a keen eye for what makes a great underwater photograph: With 18 years in the dive industry, he has seen thousands of spectacular underwater images, and has been a judge for numerous competitions. David has authored a guidebook to diving southeast Asia, and has published hundreds of articles on everything from destinations, equipment, and profiles on the world’s top dive celebrities and underwater photographers