First Place, Underwater Life, Russell Laman
The Nature Conservancy has announced the winners of the 2023 edition of its annual photo contest, with the grand prize going to a fascinating underwater image—an alpine newt “bathing” in frog eggs—by Hungarian photographer Tibor Litauszki. The photo, which was captured using a remote trigger, was chosen from the winners of each of the competition’s 12 categories.
“In Germany, there are many clean and slow-flowing streams nearby, which provides an excellent habitat for Alpine newts. For years, I have been observing their lives closely, and this year was no exception,” says Litauszki. “As soon as the frogs lay their eggs, a few days later, at dusk, the newts appear and feast on them throughout the night. Sometimes multiple newts compete for the same prey. I attempted to capture this moment underwater for years.”
The photographer manually set the focus on the lens beforehand and relied on luck to ensure everything was in the right place. “I waited nearby for it to get dark, and when the first newt appeared, I illuminated it with an LED lamp while exposing the shot,” he explains. “I initiated the camera using a homemade wired remote release.”
Underwater shooters will also be particularly blown away by the fantastic awarded images in the “Underwater Life” and “Oceans” categories. Check them out below, and head over to The Nature Conservancy website to see all the winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions.
Keep in mind that the DPG Masters Underwater Imaging Competition is currently accepting entries in eight categories, with a prize pool of some $75,000 worth of gear and trip prizes. The deadline is December 1st, so submit your entries without delay!
Grand Prize Winner, Tibor Litauszki
Second Place, Underwater Life, Cai Jialing
Third Place, Underwater Life, Daniel Nicholson
Honorable Mention, Underwater Life, Juan Carlos Huitrón Baca
First Place, Oceans, Estebane Rezkallah
Second Place, Oceans, Bambang Wirawan
Third Place, Oceans, Giovanni Allievi
