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DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition 2020

Best of Show by Scott Portelli
Best of Show

PHOTOGRAPHER
Scott Portelli

CATEGORY
Wide Angle Unrestricted
Gold

The DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition is known as the “Super Bowl” of underwater imaging events. The competition celebrates and highlights both art of underwater imaging as well as the beauty of the ocean.

This year, the panel of judges—David Doubilet, Stephen Frink, Erin Quigley, Scott “Gutsy” Tuason, Keri Wilk and Tony Wu—went through hundreds of images and videos taken by novice to professional photographers and videographers from around the world.

Some $55,000 in prizes was awarded to the winners. Congratulations to Scott Portelli, who won “Best of Show” for his 1st place image from the Wide Angle Unrestricted category.

Winners were announced live on stage during the Wave Film Festival in Chicago (February 29, 2020), and will be published by supporting media partners worldwide. You can enjoy the winning images and videos below.

Winners
BEST OF SHOW
Best of Show by Scott Portelli

Wide Angle Unrestricted
Gold
Scott Portelli Australia
Prize
12-night cruise for two to Triton Bay, West Papua on the Seven Seas liveaboard
Macro Traditional
Gold
Red carpet by Yatwai So (Hong Kong)

Yatwai So
Hong Kong

"Red carpet"
Location: Anilao
Prize
8-night liveaboard trips to Papua New Guinea aboard MV Oceania
Silver
Friends by Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

Enrico Somogyi
Germany

"Friends"
Location: Anilao ,Philippines
Prize
7-night liveaboard cruise to the Red Sea with blue o two
Bronze
Xenia Pipefish by Yung-Sen Wu (Taiwan)

Yung-Sen Wu
Taiwan

"Xenia Pipefish"
Location: Romblon.Philippines
Prize
Various lighting equipment from Ikelite

Various lighting and lens accessories from Inon
Honorable Mention
Gemini by Marco Gargiulo (Italy)

Marco Gargiulo
Italy

"Gemini"
Location: Sorrento
Honorable Mention
Haunting Hawkfish by Joe Daniels ()

Joe Daniels

"Haunting Hawkfish"
Location: Alor, Indonesia.
Macro Unrestricted
Gold
eyes by Keigo Kawamura ()

Keigo Kawamura

"eyes"
Location: Izu Oceanic Park,Japan
Prize
5-day diving packages by Sam’s Tours Palau including 7 nights at Palau Royal Resort
Silver
Female Blanket Octopus by Katherine Lu (United States)

Katherine Lu
United States

"Female Blanket Octopus"
Location: Anilao, Philippines
Prize
7-day packages to Norway at Gulen Dive Resort
Bronze
Garden Eel in the Sun by Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

Enrico Somogyi
Germany

"Garden Eel in the Sun"
Location: Anilao ,Philippines
Prize
Various lighting and lens accessories from Inon

Various lighting equipment from Ikelite
Honorable Mention
Dance by Heng Cai (China)

Heng Cai
China

"Dance"
Location: Anilao, Philippines
Honorable Mention
Light bulb by Filippo Borghi ()

Filippo Borghi

"Light bulb"
Location: indonesia
Wide Angle Traditional
Gold
strange by Yung-Sen Wu (Taiwan)

Yung-Sen Wu
Taiwan

"strange"
Location: San Carlos.Mexico
Prize
8-night liveaboard trips to Papua New Guinea aboard MV Oceania
Silver
Dragon's teeth by Petr Polách (Czech Republic)

Petr Polách
Czech Republic

"Dragon's teeth"
Location: Cave Vaca Ha - upstream, Yucatan, Mexico
Prize
7-night, 18-dive packages at Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao, Philippines
Bronze
Under the pier by Jose Antonio Castellano Garrido ()

Jose Antonio Castellano Garrido

"Under the pier"
Location: Pantar Island, Indonesia
Prize
7-night packages at Atlantis Puerto Galera or Atlantis Dumaguete, Philippines
Honorable Mention
A huge mobula school by François Baelen ()

François Baelen

"A huge mobula school"
Location: Cabo San Lucas
Honorable Mention
Golden Hour by Jesse Alpert ()

Jesse Alpert

"Golden Hour"
Location: Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Wide Angle Unrestricted
Gold
Spurt by Scott Portelli (Australia)

Scott Portelli
Australia

"Spurt"
Location: Lord Howe Island
Prize
12-night cruise for two to Triton Bay, West Papua on the Seven Seas liveaboard
Silver
Frozen by Alex Dawson (Sweden)

Alex Dawson
Sweden

"Frozen"
Location: Tasiilac, Greenland
Prize
7-day packages to Norway at Gulen Dive Resort
Bronze
Mating toads and a frog by Gino Symus ()

Gino Symus

"Mating toads and a frog"
Location: Belgium
Prize
Various lighting equipment from Ikelite

Various lighting and lens accessories from Inon
Honorable Mention
In between two frozen worlds by Alex Dawson (Sweden)

Alex Dawson
Sweden

"In between two frozen worlds"
Location: Tasiilac, Greenland
Honorable Mention
Smile by Alex Rose ()

Alex Rose

"Smile"
Location: Jardines de la Reina, Cuba
Video
Gold

Evan Sherman
United States
"The Calling"
Silver

Ping Fan
China
"Diving into the Underwater Galaxy"
Bronze

Alex Lindbloom
United States
"A Snorkel Venture in Komodo"
Honorable Mention

Mattias Granberg
Sweden
"Coldwater Dreams"
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.

VIDEO
Short Film

Any film, five minutes or less in duration, where at least 50 percent of the footage is shot underwater. The remaining footage may be captured on land or from the air, including via drones.

Judges
David Doubilet

David Doubilet is considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues the world over. He has photographed over 70 stories for National Geographic magazine, where he is a contributing photographer and author. David has documented our changing underwater world since his first assignment with National Geographic in 1971. 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. He is a member of the Royal Photographic Society and International Diving Hall of fame.

Erin Quigley

Erin Quigley is an award-winning photographer and Adobe A.C.E. certified expert in Lightroom and Photoshop. Her company, Go Ask Erin, provides education and post-production resources specifically developed for underwater photographers. Erin is a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, the Boston Sea Rovers, and the Ocean Artists Society. She teaches post-production and shooting techniques workshops worldwide.

Keri Wilk

Keri Wilk started diving at around 8 and was certified by the age of 12. Around two decades have now passed since he picked up his first underwater camera. With his brother, a fellow engineer, Keri co-owns ReefNet, which creates products that benefit the underwater world, such as optics, data recorders, and marine life ID guides. Keri recently ventured into the field of aerial imaging and started a company called Rotorpixel, which primarily manufactures direct-drive camera-stabilizing gimbals for unmanned aerial systems. After winning over 100 awards in international photo competitions, he now regularly appears on judging panels.

Scott “Gutsy” Tuason

Scott “Gutsy” Tuason was first handed his underwater camera at the age of 16, though he started diving before he even hit puberty. Decades later he is still a passionate photographer, and the element of doing things just at the edge characterizes how he gets his images. His photography has won various awards, notably the Palme d’Or at the Antibes festival in 2000 for his co-authored book, Anilao. His 2016 book, Blackwater/Open Blue, which encompasses images taken in the open ocean either at night or during the day, was awarded Underwater Book of the Year at the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition in 2017. His latest books are Aurora (2018) and Unlocking Tarlac (2022).

Stephen Frink

Stephen Frink is among the world’s most frequently published underwater photographers, with a career spanning four decades. He arrived in Key Largo, Florida in 1978 to open a small studio dedicated to underwater photo services, but he soon began to receive assignments to photograph and write articles for the consumer dive publications of the day. He worked as a photojournalist for Skin Diver magazine for 17 years, and then as the Director of Photography for Scuba Diving magazine. For the past 14 years, Stephen has been the publisher of Alert Diver magazine, a coffee-table collectible magazine for the members of the Divers Alert Network. Stephen teaches Masters level courses at Stephen Frink School of Underwater Digital Imaging each summer in his home waters off Key Largo and offers dive excursions emphasizing underwater photography through his travel company, WaterHouse Tours.

Tony Wu

Tony Wu is an award-winning underwater photographer who researches and documents rarely seen marine animals and environments. In recent years, he has devoted the bulk of his time to the challenging pursuits of photographing large cetaceans and documenting spawning aggregations. Tony has received a number of prestigious awards, including the grand prize in Japan’s largest underwater photography contest, Best Book of the Year at the Festival of Marine Images in Antibes, and first place in the “Behaviour: Mammals” category of the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

Prizes
12-night cruise for two to Triton Bay, West Papua on the Seven Seas liveaboard
8-night liveaboard trips to Papua New Guinea aboard MV Oceania
5-day diving packages by Sam’s Tours Palau including 7 nights at Palau Royal Resort
7-night, 18-dive packages at Crystal Blue Resort, Anilao, Philippines
7-day packages to Norway at Gulen Dive Resort
7-night packages at Atlantis Puerto Galera or Atlantis Dumaguete, Philippines
7-night liveaboard cruise to the Red Sea with blue o two
Various lighting equipment from Ikelite
Various lighting and lens accessories from Inon