HEADLINE: 2010 Competitions Are Closed - In the Judging Phase

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The 2010 competitions are now closed and the difficult judging process has commenced. We are all eager to see the results.

Winners of the Our World Underwater photo & video competition will be announced and displayed during the 40th annual Our World Underwater show and film festival in Chicago Feb 19-21, 2009. Check back here on Feb 20th when we will post the announcement of the winners!

Winners of the DEEP Indonesia competition will be announced and displayed at the DEEP Indonesia show in Jakarta, Indonesia March 12 - 14, 2010, and you can check back here on March 27th to see all the winning images.

We would like to thank our esteemed judges for the judging this year's competitions. (in alphabetical order)

PHOTO JUDGES

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.

David Doubilet is considered to be among the best by editors, peers and colleagues the world over. He has photographed over 60 stories for the National Geographic Magazine where he is currently a Contributing Photographer-in-Residence. David has documented our changing underwater world since his first assignment with the Geographic in 1971. In addition to the Geographic, David's work continues to appear in countless publications worldwide and he is a contributing editor and feature columnists for the Behind the Shot in Sport Diver Magazine (US) and Seascapes and Dive Magazine (UK). 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. David is a member of both the Royal Photographic Society and International Diving Hall of fame.

Diego A. Garcia is editor of Scuba Diver AustralAsia Magazine and is contributing editor of Asian Diver Magazine. Diego's writings and images have been published in Asia, the UK, Canada and the US, and his work on various television series has taken him from California, USA, to Mozambique, Africa. Diego is also currently completing masters-level research on whales, and was the first to record underwater video of humpbacks in the Philippines.

Ric Frazier was born and raised in Texas, and his photographic journey began with participating in and shooting the skateboarding scene. Many scrapes and scars later, swimming with the sharks seemed like an equally stimulating experience. This led this aqua man to pursue his interests at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA. Over Ten years later, having become one of the most skilled, experienced and versatile underwater photographer in the world, Ric has redefined the art of underwater photography shooting everything ranging from people, props and sets, to ocean life. With a focus on advertising and editorial, Ric offers a relaxed and efficient working environment however complex or simple the shot or campaign. Recently he has shot for advertising clients such as Bayer, Mcdonald's, MTV, and Shell Oil, as well as recent editorial clients Elle, ESPN, GQ, People, and Shape.

Dietmar Fuchs is the editor-in-chief of Germany's largest scuba diving magazine, Unterwasser. Born in Germany in 1958. Dietmar was a Jet-Pilot in the German Air Force from 1978 -1982. 1982 -1984 he became a Divemaster/1st Officer on a Swiss Treasure-Hunter in the Caribbean. 1984 -1985 Dive Instructor and Charterboat-Captain in Caribbean. 1985 - 1993 Studied Marine Biology in Munich Maximilian University and in 1994 earned a Master in Marine Biology with a Rolex Award for "Strombus" Research. From 1988 - 1993 Dietmar was Editor in Chief of Swiss Scuba-Magazine "Aquananut". Since 1994 Dietmar has held the position of Editor in Chief of German Scuba Magazine "Unterwasser". In 2008 Dietmar also launched UW-Photo-Magazine "Fifty Fathoms.

Dr Alexander Mustard is both a marine biologist and also a 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.

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.

Tony Wu has combined his love of visual art with his interest in the marine world through underwater photography since 1995, and he has concentrated on using his photographs and writing to encourage others to appreciate and protect the beauty of the oceans. Tony is currently Associate Editor of FiNS Magazine in Asia, and his photographs and essays appear regularly in periodicals and newspapers around the world. Tony's images have received international awards in Japan, Europe and the US, and his first book, Silent Symphony, received the award for "Best Book of the Year" at the 28th annual Antibes Festival of Marine Images in France. In recent years, Tony has been doing his best to keep up with the younger generation by starting up a blog and podcast, providing near real-time updates of his trips and experiences.

VIDEO JUDGES

Steve Douglas is a certified Apple Pro for Final Cut Pro 6 and underwater videographer. A winner of the 1999 Pacific Coast Underwater Film Competition, 2003 IVIE competition, 2004 Los Angeles Underwater Photographic competition, and the prestigious 2005 International Beneath the Sea Film Competition, where he also won the Stan Waterman Award for Excellence in Underwater Videography and 'Diver of the Year', Steve was a safety diver on the feature film "The Deep Blue Sea", contributed footage to the Seaworld Park's Atlantis production, the History channel's MegaDisaster show, and his first, recently aired National Geographic special segment on Marlin. Steve is a feature writer for Asian Diver Magazine and the Final Cut Pro editing websites, www.kenstone.net and www.lafcpug.org and continues to conduct filming and editing seminars for both private and group audiences. A regular speaker and presenter for many dive clubs, Steve is one of the founding organizers of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition and leads both underwater filming expeditions and African safaris.

Eric Hanuer published his first underwater image and article, in Skin Diver magazine, in 1977. Over the past 30 years, his photos and articles have been published in magazines, books, posters, and CDs worldwide. He has written guidebooks to the Red Sea and Micronesia, as well as an oral history of diving in America (ehanauer.com). Recently Hanauer began shooting underwater video, and his work as been selected for showing in festivals, on the internet, on iTunes, and in TV commercials. Born in Stuttgart, Germany and raised in Chicago, Eric was educated in the Chicago Public Schools, then earned a BS in Physical Education at George Williams College, and an MS in Physical Education at UCLA. His wife, Karen Straus, is also an active diver and underwater photographer. They live in San Diego.

Mary Lynn Price is a video journalist and producer, founder of DiveFilm.com. She is the executive producer of the iTunes featured podcast, DiveFilm HD Video, and is a founding organizer of the San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition. She teaches video editing and storytelling on land and at sea, and is an Apple certified pro in Final Cut Pro 7.