Our World Underwater 2006

PHOTOGRAPHER
Chris Gug

CATEGORY
Wide Angle Traditional

Gold

2006 - 1st Annual Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com International Photo Competition
In association with Our World-Underwater

Over $25,000 in prizes!

It is with much excitement and honor that we present to you the winners of the first annual Wetpixeland DivePhotoGuide International Underwater Photography Competition. The two popular underwater imaging websites have teamed up to celebrate the beauty and delicacy of the marine environment by developing the first instance of a new, annual, international underwater photography competition. For our inaugural event, only digital entries were accepted, including both images taken from digital cameras or scanned from film. Over $25,000 in prizes were awarded and we congratulate the winners from around the globe!

Photographers competed in six categories to win more than $25,000 in prizes, including premium dive travel, underwater photography equipment, and more, and 15% of entry proceeds will be donated to marine conservation efforts.

Winners were announced on stage at the 2006 Our World-Underwater festival in Chicago, Illinois (February 24-26, 2006).

2006 Winners and Prizes

All prizes were donated from our wonderful sponsors, without whom this contest would not be possible.
Every place winner (Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) will receive a 1-year subscription to Fathoms Magazine
Every place winner and honorable mention winner will receive an Ikelite PC dive light
Entrants who specified that they are professional shooters are tagged as "(Pro)", below.

Rules & Guidelines

Winners

BEST OF SHOW

Wide Angle Traditional

Gold

Chris Gug United States

Macro Traditional

Gold

Noam Kortler

Israel

Location:

Silver

Ann Worthy

Location:

Bronze

Alessio Viora

Italy

Location:

Honorable Mention

Burkhard Ohlendorf

Location:

Honorable Mention

Matthias Blättler

Location:

Macro Unrestricted

Gold

Cor Bosman

Location:

Silver

Victor Zucker

Location:

Bronze

Orhan Aytur

Location:

Honorable Mention

Tibor Dombovari

Location:

Honorable Mention

Keri Wilk

Canada

Location:

Honorable Mention

Karl Dietz

Location:

Wide Angle Traditional

Gold

Chris Gug

United States

Location:

Silver

Justin Gilligan

Australia

Location:

Bronze

Jose Alejandro Alvarez

Dominican Republic

Location:

Honorable Mention

Tibor Dombovari

Location:

Honorable Mention

Alex Dawson

Sweden

Location:

Wide Angle Unrestricted

Gold

Tibor Dombovari

Location:

Silver

Cor Bosman

Location:

Bronze

Alessio Viora

Italy

Location:

Honorable Mention

Andy Lerner

Location:

Honorable Mention

Martin Heyn

Location:

Honorable Mention

Alex Dawson

Sweden

Location:

Honorable Mention

Alex Dawson

Sweden

Location:

Compact Cameras

Gold

John Johnson

Location:

Silver

Al Sweeting

Location:

Bronze

Judy Johnson

Location:

Honorable Mention

Judy Johnson

Location:

Honorable Mention

Cynthia Abgarian

Location:

Environment and Conservation

Gold

Martin Oernroth

Location:

Silver

Chris Gug

United States

Location:

Bronze

Bela Nasfay

Location:

Honorable Mention

Alessio Viora

Italy

Location:

Categories

PHOTO

Macro Traditional

Any close-up image captured with a macro lens, where the reproduction ratio is between 1:10 and 1:1, or greater. 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 enables 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. Please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category.

Macro Unrestricted

Any close-up image captured with a macro lens, where the reproduction ratio is between 1:10 and 1:1, or greater. Unlike the "Traditional" divisions, the "Unrestricted" divisions have no specific rules regarding digital manipulation. However, as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.

Wide Angle Traditional

Any image captured with a wide-angle lens (focal length 35mm or less in 35mm format). 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 enables 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. Please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category.

Wide Angle Unrestricted

Any image captured with a wide-angle lens (focal length 35mm or less in 35mm format). Unlike the "Traditional" divisions, the "Unrestricted" divisions have no specific rules regarding digital manipulation. However, as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.

Compact Cameras

Any image taken by a point-and-shoot, non-DSLR, non-interchangeable-lens camera.
Any camera with interchangeable lenses is not considered a compact, so images taken with such cameras must not be entered into this category.

Environment and Conservation

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

Prize Assignments

Chris Gug	Live Aboard trip in Papua New Guinea aboard the M/V Golden Dawn Signed Books From Wyland
John Johnson	Live Aboard Trip to Socorro Islands on the M/V Solmar V Signed Books From Stephen Wong & Takako Uno
Cor Bosman	Live Aboard Trip to Indonesia with Kararu Dive Voyages Signed Books From Wyland
Tibor Dombovari	Live Aboard Trip in the Galapagos Islands on the M/V Mistral Signed Books From Wyland
Noam Kortler	Dive Bora Bora with Top Dive at Bora Bora Dive Resort Signed Books From Wyland
Martin Oernroth	Live Aboard Trip to the Solomon Islands on the M/V Bilikiki A Signed Book from Scott "Gutsy" Tuason
Justin Gilligan	5 Nights, Diving in Palau
Ann Worthy	Dive Lembeh Indonesia with Lembeh Resort
Victor Zucker	Aquatica Housing for Digital SLR

Prizes

Live Aboard trip in Papua New Guinea aboard the M/V Golden Dawn

1-week live aboard trip in Papua New Guinea aboard the M/V Golden Dawn

Live Aboard Trip to Indonesia with Kararu Dive Voyages

11-day live aboard Trip to Indonesia

Live Aboard Trip to Socorro Islands on the M/V Solmar V

1-week live aboard trip to the Socorro Islands

Live Aboard Trip in the Galapagos Islands on the M/V Mistral

1-week live aboard trip -- Galapagos Islands

Dive Bora Bora with Top Dive at Bora Bora Dive Resort

5-nights accommodation and diving -- Bora Bora

Live Aboard Trip to the Solomon Islands on the M/V Bilikiki

1- week live aboard trip to the Solomon Islands aboard the M/V Bilikiki

5 Nights, Diving in Palau

Dive Lembeh Indonesia with Lembeh Resort

1-week diving in Lembeh, Indonesia with Lembeh Resort

Aquatica Housing for Digital SLR

DSLR housing for a Nikon D70 or equivalent

Dive Nassau, Bahamas with Stuart Cove

6-day diving-only at Nassau, Bahamas for 2

Strobes from Marine Camera Distributors

1 pr Epoque ES230 Strobes from Marine Camera Distributors

Diving Equipment from Oceanic

Diving Equipment packages

Underwater Housing from Fantasea

Poly-carbonate underwater housing

Lighting System from Nocturnal Lights

SLX lighting system from Nocturnal Lights

Signed Books From Wyland

A signed coffee-table book from Wyland

Gift Certificates from Backscatter

$100 gift certificates

Gift Certificate from Ultralight Control Systems

$100 gift certificate from Ultralight Control Systems

Gift Certificate for Underwater Photo Tech

$100 gift certificate at Underwater Photo Tech

Signed Books From Stephen Wong & Takako Uno

Signed book, "An Ocean Odyssey", by Stephen Wong & Takako Uno

A Signed Book from Scott "Gutsy" Tuason

A signed coffee-table book , "Bahura" from Scott "Gutsy" Tuason

Judges

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/

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. Previously, he was a contributing photographer for Skin Diver Magazine for 17 years. His work has also been published in a wide variety of general interest publications such as Natural History, Glamour, Time, Newsweek, Islands, Travel And Leisure, Esquire, Fortune, Forbes, Money, as well as numerous National Geographic publications. Frink has authored a coffee table book entitled "Wonders Of The Reef", published by Harry N. Abrams; and teaches the Stephen Frink School of Underwater Photography in his home waters of Key Largo, Florida. Clients for assignment photography over the past 24 years have included Nikon, Canon, Victoria's Secret, Mercury Marine, Aqua Lung, Scuba Pro, Jantzen, Dacor, R.J. Reynolds, Sea Quest, Henderson Aquatics, Club Med, and scores of resorts and live-aboard dive boats throughout the world.

More about Steve at http://www.stephenfrink.com

Dr. Alexander Mustard

Dr Alexander Mustard is both a marine biologist and also as 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

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.