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2006 - 1st Annual
Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com
International Photo Competition
Over $25,000 in prizes!
Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com 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 this inaugural event, only digital entries will be accepted (scanned slides are OK).
Photographers will compete in six categories to win more than $25,000 in prizes, including premium dive travel, underwater photography equipment, and more! Dive packages in the prize list include trips to some of the top photo destinations in the world: the Solomon Islands, Lembeh Strait, Raja Ampat, Komodo, the Galapagos Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, and the Bahamas! Other prizes include HID lighting systems, camera housings, and other valuable items (see complete prize list below). 15% of entry proceeds will be donated to marine conservation efforts.
Winners will be announced on stage at the 2006 Our World-Underwater festival in Chicago, Illinois (February 24-26, 2006). The submission deadline is 11:59PM Eastern Time, February 3, 2006.
Continue reading for categories, prizes, rules, and submission instructions. If you still have questions about the contest after reading the entire page, please contact us.
*CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*
CONTEST SPONSORS
Categories
There are six categories for entries:
- Macro Traditional
- Macro Unrestricted
- Wide Angle Traditional
- Wide Angle Unrestricted
- Compact Camera
- Environment and Conservation.
See below for descriptions of each category. 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.
- Macro Traditional
Any underwater image of a 7x5 inch or smaller picture area.
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 will enable 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. Our judges are digital photography experts, so please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category. - Macro Unrestricted
Any underwater image of a 7x5 inch or smaller picture area.
The "Unrestricted" divisions have no such rules regarding digital manipulation. Anything goes, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make. - Wide Angle Traditional
Underwater images larger than a 7x5 inch picture area.
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 will enable 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. Our judges are digital photography experts, so please do not submit cropped or manipulated entries in this category. - Wide Angle Unrestricted
Underwater images larger than a 7x5 inch picture area.
The "Unrestricted" divisions have no rules regarding digital manipulation. Anything goes, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make. - 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. In this category, digital manipulation is allowed, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make. - 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. In this category, digital manipulation is allowed, but as we are not running a digital manipulation contest, you should exercise care in the decisions that you make.
Prizes
- Free Stuff for Entrants
- All entrants will receive one free, digital issue of Dive Chronicles Magazine,
- All entrants in the Compact Camera category will receive one free photo lesson from reknowned underwater photographer, Marty Snyderman, via TheUnderwaterphotographer.com
- Premium Dive Travel
- 1-week liveaboard trip
Papua New Guinea aboard the M/V Golden Dawn - 11-day liveaboard trip
Indonesia with Kararu Dive Voyages - 1-week liveaboard trip
Socorro Islands on the M/V Solmar V - 1-week liveaboard trip
Galapagos Islands on the M/V Mistral - 5-nights accomodation and diving
Bora Bora at the Bora Bora Dive Resort (TopDive) - 1-week liveaboard trip
Solomon Islands on the M/V Bilikiki - 5-nights in Palau
Sam's Tours/West Plaza Hotels (3-days diving, 1-day kayaking) - 1 week combination package
Lembeh Resort/Murex Manado - 6-day diving-only package at Nassau Bahamas for 2, with Stuart Cove
- 1-week liveaboard trip
- Photo Gear, Dive Gear, and more
- An underwater camera housing from Aquatica
- Oceanic scuba diving products
- An underwater camera housing from Fantasea
- Ikelite underwater flashlights
- (1) Pair of Epoque ES230 Auto Strobes, from Epoque and Marine Camera Distributors
- ScubaCore DVD 4-packs
- Lighting system from Nocturnal Lights
- Signed coffee-table books from Wyland
- Gift certificates from Backscatter, Ultralight Control Systems, and Underwater Photo-Tech
- Signed coffee-table book from
Stephen Wong & Takako Uno - Signed coffee table book, "Bahura", from Scott "Gutsy" Tuason
- Magazines Subscriptions
- Every place winner (Best of Show, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) will receive a 1-year subscription to both Fathoms Magazine and Ocean Realm Journal
- Prizes for Entrants
- Every entrant will receive one free issue
of Dive Chronicles Magazine, - Every entrant in the Compact Camera category will receive one free photo lesson from reknowned underwater photographer, Marty Snyderman, via TheUnderwaterphotographer.com
- Every entrant will receive one free issue
- And more!
Additional prizes will be listed as sponsors sign on.
General Rules
- The Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com International Photo Competition is open to entrants of all skill levels, including amateurs, professionals, and Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com staff. Photo contest staff and judges are not allowed to enter the contest. Professional photographers may not submit entries into the Compact Camera category.
- All submitted images must have been taken by the entrant.
- Images that have won or placed in photo contests with winning entries announced before Jan 1, 2006, may not be submitted. A winning image is defined as follows:
- any image that has placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any contest that has resulted in prizes worth $100 USD or more.
- any image that has placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a "major" photography contest (to be determined subjectively by judges).
- any image that has placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in any "photo of the year"-type contest. Photos of the day, week, or month are fine, as long as they have not resulted in prizes worth $100 USD or more.
- Photographers retain all copyrights to their images. Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com retain the right to publish the contest entries to congratulate the winners and to promote future events
- With the exception of the Environment and Conservation category, all images need to have been taken underwater. The Environment and Conservation category allows for topside images, as long as subject matter is appropriate.
- With the exception of the Compact Camera category, entries may have been taken from any camera, film (as scanned slides) or digital. Entries in the Compact Camera category must have been taken with a non-SLR digital camera.
- Each individual can only win one prize. Entrants with multiple winning entries will be given priority in prize selection.
- Winners will be announced on stage at the 2006 Our World-Underwater festival in Chicago, Illinois (February 24-26, 2006).
- We are adopting the Conservation Rules established by EPIC®. Marine life should never be stressed or endangered for the sake of a photo. Conservation rules will apply to all entries, and decisions will be final. Entries exhibiting the following behavior will be disqualified:
- Divers visibly damaging the environment
(e.g. gear dragging or kicking up sand). - Animals with signs of stress
(e.g. puffed puffers, inking octopus). - Animals moved to an unnatural environment or risky location.
- Animals being fed
(especially with artificial food from divers). - Marine life being touched
(e.g. coral polyps, seahorse tails). - Divers exhibiting poor buoyancy control
- Divers visibly damaging the environment
- Current list of judges include Eric Cheng, Alex Mustard, and Stephen Frink.
Submission Guidelines and Instructions
The Wetpixel.com and DivePhotoGuide.com International Photo Competition is open to entrants of all skill levels.
*CONTEST IS CLOSED*
- Image Format for Entries
Entries must be saved in jpeg format and should be sized to be between 2000 and 4000 pixels in the longest dimension. Please limit your images to a maximum file size of 4,000KB. Images will be viewed on a large monitor and will look best if saved in the sRGB color space. - Naming Your Images
Name your jpg files according to the following template:
CategoryAbbreviation-LastName-FirstName-Entry#.jpg
Categories are abbreviated as follows: Macro Traditional (MT), Macro Unrestricted (MU), Wide Angle Traditional (WT), Wide Angle Unrestricted (WU), Compact Camera (C), and Environment and Conservation (E).
Example file names for entries by "Joe Smith" in several categories:
MT-Smith-Joe-1.jpg (Macro Traditional, Entry #1)
MT-Smith-Joe-2.jpg (Macro Traditional, Entry #2)
C-Smith-Joe-1.jpg (Compact Camera, Entry #1)
E-Smith-Joe-1.jpg (Environment and Conservation, Entry #1) - Entry Form and Submission: All entries must be received before the deadline date of 11:59pm, February 3, 2006. There are two methods for entry submission, and both of the require a completed entry form.
- Electronic submission :
- E-mail: Submit an entry form with your entry images via e-mail to . Title your e-mail, "Contest Entry". Try to keep the size of each e-mail message under 5MB (feel free to split up your submissions into multiple e-mails, but make sure you name your files properly). You will receive an auto-reply if your e-mail was received successfully.
*CONTEST IS CLOSED* - Web Upload: Submit an entry form via e-mail, and upload entry images to us by using our web interface. If you elect this option, make sure to send your renamed entry form via e-mail AND upload it to our web account.
*CONTEST IS CLOSED*
- E-mail: Submit an entry form with your entry images via e-mail to . Title your e-mail, "Contest Entry". Try to keep the size of each e-mail message under 5MB (feel free to split up your submissions into multiple e-mails, but make sure you name your files properly). You will receive an auto-reply if your e-mail was received successfully.
- Physical submission, via CD-R: download and complete an entry form and submit it via e-mail to . Copy the entry form and entry images onto CD-R media and send it to:
Underwater Holdings, Inc.
Attn: Jason Heller / 2006 Competition
220 East 23rd Street – Suite 911
New York, NY 1001
If you submit physically, you can still pay the entry fee electronically, or you may mail in a check with your CD (see below). - Payment: Entry fees are $10 per image (no limit on number of entries). Payment can be made in one of two ways:
- Electronically, via Paypal (safe, secure, and fast -- credit cards accepted)
No Paypal account is necessary to pay with credit card via Paypal.
*CONTEST IS CLOSED* - Physically, via a check, payable to Underwater Holdings, Inc. and mailed to:
Underwater Holdings, Inc.
Attn: Jason Heller / 2006 Competition
220 East 23rd Street – Suite 911
New York, NY 10010-4606
Write your e-mail address and full name on your check, and make sure it matches what you have written in your entry form.
*CONTEST IS CLOSED*
- Entry Form: Download and complete an entry form (right click and select "Save As...") and fill it out. The entry form must be renamed once you fill it out. Please rename it LastName-FirstName.txt (e.g. Smith-Joe.txt, if your name is "Joe Smith"). Please -- only one entry form is necessary. Don't split your images up into multiple forms.
Other Information
If you aren't a member of Wetpixel.com or DivePhotoGuide.com, consider joining now!
Wetpixel.com is dedicated to providing the latest information on digital underwater photography and imaging. In 2003, Wetpixel.com were awarded the prestigious Antibes Festival prize for Best Website, and in 2005, Scuba Diving Magazine dubbed Wetpixel.com the Editor's Choice for Best Dive-Related Website. Our community of over 4,000 underwater photographers span the globe, living in more than 25 different countries and travelling to many more. We would love to have you join our community! You may also elect to join the Wetpixel.com mailing list for future announcements about photo contests, community events, and Wetpixel underwater photography expeditions!
DivePhotoGuide.com is a new resource for underwater photographers and videographers of all levels. The main feature is the world's most comprehensive global directory of dive operators, complete with criteria such as the size of the rinse tanks, presence of camera tables, charging stations and almost 100 other criteria. DivePhotoGuide.com also provides centralized calendars of all the competitions and festivals around the world, pro photo galleries, and breaking news. Come on by and check us out. Help 'kick the tires' and shape a new resource for the community!
Our world-Underwater is celebrating 36 years and being one of the largest consumer dive shows in the US. OW-U offers the public an opportunity to meet industry professionals. A chance for the non-diver to try scuba. A great way to kick off the diving season. People local and two and three states away come to OW-U for the weekend. The weekend is full of educational workshops, seminars, film festivals and manufacturers repair clinics. OUR WORLD-UNDERWATER host two huge film festivals, one Friday night and another Saturday evening. Many industry professional got their start at these festivals. There are over 200 booths for people to enjoy, displaying many travel destinations, equipment manufacturers and Midwest dive centers. OW-U is a great place to spend a weekend.
Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide.com would to thank our generous sponsors. Without their support, this photo contest would not be possible.
