Best show – Wide angle – Gold – “Wishing Well” by Suliman Alatiqi (Kuwait)
Organizers of DPG Masters 2023 underwater photography competition won a new “Best Performance” award—Suliman Alatiqi’s winning image in the Wide Angle category, a refreshingly unique shot of a crab-eating monkey looking down at the water from a pedestal, as be looked at Snell window.
This decision was made after the organizing committee and Judges confirmed that Marco Gargiulo’s previously awarded “Best Picture” picture—originally the winner of the Over-Under category—did not comply with contest rules. The image was disqualified and the award was forfeited. The jury then reconvened to select a new “Best of Show” image and felt Suliman Alatiqi’s Wide Angle Gold winner deserved top honors. Suliman won the “Best Film” cash prize of $1,000.
Due to disqualification, Grace Pempek’s beautiful photo of the critically endangered smalltooth sawfish is now awarded Gold in the Above and Below category, while Mirko Zanni’s photo of the American alligator is now awarded Silver in the category there. Another crab-eating monkey from Suliman Alatiqi’s series captured in Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands is now the Bronze category winner.
Congratulations again to Suliman, Grace and Mirko! Check out the remaining winners and runners-up above UnderwaterCompetition.com.
Over-Under – Yellow – “Smalltooth sawfish in the mangrove forest at dawn” by Grace Pempek (USA)
Above and below – Silver – “American Alligator” by Mirko Zanni (Switzerland)
Top bottom – Bronze – “Primal Plunge” by Suliman Alatiqi (Kuwait)
