Press Release

August 7, 2007- San Francisco, California: The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS.org) proudly presents the 43rd Annual SEA International Underwater Photographic Competition, and the Bob Commer Award of Excellence in Underwater Photography.  The “mail-in” underwater digital still and print photography, and underwater videography competition is open to amateur photographers and videographers from around the world.  Award sponsors of the SEA2007 competition, with prizes totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars, include scuba ecotourism resorts, travel agencies, and luxury live-aboards, as well as scuba and photography equipment manufacturers.  Sponsors include: Nai’a Cruises, Fiji; Bilikiki Cruises, Solomon Islands; MV Febrina, Papua New Guinea; Pindito Dive Cruises, Indonesia; Mike Ball Expeditions, Australia; Cocotinos Dive Resort, Indonesia; and Backscatter Underwater Photo and Video.  The SEA2006 competition brought in hundreds of entries from underwater photographers from as far away as Holland and Italy.

The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society, the oldest and most prestigious underwater photography club in the United States, possibly the world, promotes conservationism and environmental protection through the membership’s shared passion in underwater photography and videography.  Established in 1957 and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2007, NCUPS sponsors educational events on both underwater photography and video while promoting awareness of the underwater environment and pertinent ecological issues.

New for 2007!  The Bob Commer Award of Photographic Excellence will be awarded to the SEA International Competition Best of Show!  This award is in addition to a prize selection from the prize list.  All media, digital still, print and video, are eligible.  The winner of the Bob Commer Award receives $500.00 and a handcrafted glass trophy of an underwater photographer. (For additional info: http://www.ncups.org/commer.html).

SEA2007 will no longer carry any 35mm slide photography categories.  Slides may be scanned and submitted in digital still categories with the same specifications as images taken with a digital still camera.  The SEA2007 underwater photographic competition will issue awards for the best work in categories including Macro, Wide Angle, and Underwater California categories; a traditional print category; creative categories in print and digital, a video category.  In the creative categories entrants are encouraged to use any and all tools available to express their individual creativity.

Also new for 2007 is the Marine Conservation Category.  Underwater photographers have a responsibility to educate other divers and non-divers about issues related to the marine environment.  Underwater photographers have first-hand experience with environmental issues and the means to illustrate them to those who have limited or no underwater experience.  The entries in this category should illustrate a marine conservation issue; whether it is an endangered or rare species or environment, an illustration of a non-sustainable fishery; or something positive, such as re-growth of an environment, return of an endangered species, or an illustration of the benefits of artificial reefs.  The Marine Conservation Category is open to still images taken underwater anywhere in the world.  Entries should include a maximum 75-word description about where the image was taken, the story behind the image, and why it was important to the photographer to take the image and tell the story.

Still images only will be accepted for this first year in this new Marine Conservation category.  Proceeds will be donated to a marine conservation/environmental educational organization at NCUPS’ discretion.  Winning images to be displayed with their descriptions on a special marine NCUPS.org conservation page.

Entries will be accepted beginning August 10, 2007 with all entries due by October 12, 2007.  Winning entries will be announced on the NCUPS.org in November 2007.  Download Rules, Regulations, and the Entry Form from the NCUPS website.