Organizing Committee for the second time Underwater Tourism Awardyes Announce the winners of this year’s underwater photo contest, the Guru Awards, as well as an additional photo contest for “newbies” organized in partnership with the environmental movement Get 3 for the sea.
The top prize—Grand Guru Award—goes to DPG Photographer of the Week Jake Wilton for his great portfolio of small images in each of the contest’s categories, while the category award went to Anthony Brown (Top Scene), Jake Wilton (Underwater Character), Cameron McFarlane (Underwater Scenery), ), Wade Hughes (Underwater Summary), Pavlos Evangelidis (Black and White Underwater) and Jørgen Rasmussen (Reportage). This year’s People’s Choice Award went to Anthony Brown for the winner of Topside Scenes. The organizers also presented the first special award—the Packer Prize—to Helen Walne for this beautiful photograph of coral-covered rocks amid a kelp forest in South Africa.
For the Take 3 Contest—open to anyone “taking photos on any device”—the winning photos must carry the Take 3 for the Sea message, promoting real actions that improve health of the ocean. Two winners have been chosen: Emma Turner and Jules Casey.
Well done to all the winners and runners-up!
PRESS RELEASE
Winners Announced: Underwater Travel Awards 2022
Australia: December 18, 2022: The winners of the third annual Underwater Travel Awards have been announced. This prestigious annual international competition encourages and ignites a passion for photography, exploration and discovery from behind the lens, while helping to raise awareness of the fragile, valuable marine and aquatic inhabitants. marvel at the world and their environment. For the first time, the Underwater Travel Awards teamed up with environmental education and action organization, Take 3, and introduced a new entry-level category, the Take 3 for the Sea Competition. Proceeds from registration fees and additional donations have been given to Take 3.
Led by Convenor Darren JewsCanon Master and six-time AIPP Professional Nature Photographer of the Year award international jury: Amanda Blanksby, William Tan, Dr Richard Smith, Russell Ord and Brett Lobwein evaluated hundreds of photos submitted by photographers from around the world.
Darren Jew said: “Every year the competition grows and we are delighted with the high quality entries. “The gallery of the finalists will take us on a remarkable underwater tour, showcasing the amazing work of competing underwater wildlife photographers and celebrating natural wonders of the underwater world”.
Guru Award – Photo Contest
As the only international photography competition of its kind to incorporate a Systematic Ethical Review of submitted images, the Underwater Travel Awards Team is committed to ensuring the natural world is depicted in a bright light. creative and honest, showing due regard for the welfare of all marine life and habitats. All shortlisted images are subject to the contest’s Ethical Review process, conducted by the renowned marine biologist and author, Dr. Richard Smithbefore going to the first round of judging.
And the winner is…
Grand Prize Guru
The Guru Grand Prize honors a great photographer, not just a great photograph, and is awarded to the photographer who achieves the highest score from six entries across three or more of the six adjacent categories. painting.
Guru Grand Prize Winner: Jake Wilton, Australia
Final round:
- Gabriel Guzman, Australia
- Jørgen Rasmussen, Singapore
- Jake Wilton, Australia
Categories of personal Guru images:
underwater scene
Winner: Cameron McFarlane
Final round:
- Helen Walne, South Africa
- Gabriel Guzman, Australia
- Wayne Osborn, Australia
- Talia Greis, Australia
underwater character
Winner: Jake Wilton
Final round:
- Gabriel Guzman, Australia
- Dave Levasseur, Canada
- Josh Blank, Australia
- Nicolas Remy, Australia
underwater abstract
Winner: Wade Hughes, Australia
Final round:
- Derek Firman, Australia
- Richard Condlyffe, USA
- Karen Ho, Papua New Guinea
- Walter Drechsler, Germany
Top view
Winner: Anthony Brown
Final round:
- Jørgen Rasmussen, Singapore
- Reed Plummer, Australia
- Pam Osborn, Australia
- Cameron McFarlane, Australia
Black And White Underwater
Winner: Pavlos Evangelidis
Final round:
- Gabriel Guzman, Australia
- Katie Clewett, Australia
- Ellen Cuylaerts, UK
- Karen Ho, Papua New Guinea
Reporting
Winner: Jørgen Rasmussen, Singapore
Final round:
- Sam Glenn-Smith, Australia
- Jodi Frediani, USA
Everyone’s Voting Award
Winner: Anthony Brown, Australia
Runner-up: Mel Wu, Australia
Two new awards are introduced in 2022:
Packer’s Award (selected by the Underwater Tour Team) go to Helen Walne, Cape Town, South Africa
Take3 . Contest
Winner 1: Emma Turner, NSW
Runner-up: Jean-Louis Lebreux, QLD
Winner 2: Jules Casey, VIC
Runner-up: Cathy Finch, QLD
“Congratulations to all the winners and all the participants for a great job,” encouraged Darren Jew. “We would like to thank all of our Valuable Partners – Take 3 and their amazing prize partners as well as our generous friends at CameraPro, Mike’s Shadow Diving Expedition, Professional moment, heron island, Walindi . Plantation Resort, Lady Elliot Island, Lady Musgrave Experience, WOMEN’S SEA FISH, Henderson Greenprene, On and Sea life.”
Co-founder Tim Hochgrebe added: “Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this year’s Awards. The plans for the Underwater Tour Awards 2023 are in place and we look forward to seeing you next year.”
GRAND GURU AWARD
Winner: Jake Wilton
GURU CATEGORY WINNER
underwater scene
Winner: Cameron McFarlane
underwater character
Winner: Jake Wilton
underwater abstract
Winner: Wade Hughes
Top view
Winner (and People’s Choice Winner): Anthony Brown
Black And White Underwater
Winner: Pavlos Evangelidis
Reporting
Winner: Jørgen Rasmussen
PACKAGING AWARDS
Winner: Helen Walne
TAKE3 CONTEST
Winner 1: Emma Turner
Winner 2: Jules Casey
