Dive into the wonderland of light and shadow: The annual underwater photography competition unlocks the mysterious album of the ocean

　　On the vast map of the earth, the ocean occupies about 71% of the area. Under the deep and boundless blue, there are countless unknown stories and beautiful landscapes. The Underwater Photographer of the Year is like a magical window, allowing us to glimpse the fantasy and magnificence of the underwater world through the lens of photographers.

　　Gathering the best works from all over the world to enjoy the underwater wonders

　　This event can be called the top feast in the field of underwater photography in the world. Since the first competition was held in 1965, it has gone through a glorious journey of 60 years. Each competition attracts photography enthusiasts from all continents around the world to participate actively. With awe and love for the ocean, they use cameras to capture every moving moment of the underwater world. From colorful coral reefs in tropical waters to cute penguins and seals in polar oceans; from ancient shipwrecks sleeping quietly in the deep sea to schools of fish swimming in the shallows, the subjects of the entries are rich and diverse, showing the unparalleled biodiversity and geographical features of the underwater world. In the 2024 competition, the competition received more than 6,500 wonderful works from photographers around the world, covering 13 different categories, and the competition was extremely fierce.

　　Diverse awards to inspire creative enthusiasm

　　The competition has established a rich and diverse awards to recognize outstanding underwater photography works of different types and styles. The honor of "Underwater Photographer of the Year" is undoubtedly the most anticipated award, and the photographer who wins this title will become the shining star of the underwater photography world of the year. In 2024, Alex Dawson from Sweden won the award for his work "Whale Bones". In the picture, a free diver is in the cold water under the Greenland Ice Sheet, surrounded by the remains of slaughtered minke whales. The visually impactful composition triggers people's deep thinking about the relationship between humans and marine life. In addition to this heavyweight award, the competition also has an "Emerging Underwater Photographer of the Year" award to encourage new forces in the photography industry. In 2024, the award was won by Lisa Stengel from the United States with her work "Window of Opportunity". The work captured the moment when the swordfish preyed on sardines, showing the fierce competition for survival in the ocean. In addition, multiple awards such as the "Marine Conservation Photographer Award" and the "British Underwater Photographer Award" have affirmed the creative achievements of photographers from different angles, inspiring more people to devote themselves to underwater photography and record the beauty of the ocean.

　　Unique judging mechanism to ensure fairness

　　The judging process of the competition is rigorous and unique. All judging work is carried out in the same room. The jury members watch each entry together on the same screen and make decisions together. This judging method not only ensures the fairness of the selection results, but also allows participants to obtain personalized feedback on their works through the competition's unique result system, understand the strengths and weaknesses of their works, and provide reference for future creations. The jury members are all experienced underwater photographers, such as the 2024 judges Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich and Dr Alexander Mustard MBE. With their professional vision and rich experience, they select the most creative, technically sophisticated and infectious masterpieces from a large number of works.

　　The works tell stories and evoke emotional resonance

　　Behind each winning work, there is a unique story. They either show the agile beauty of marine life, record the challenges faced by marine ecology, or capture the wonderful interaction between divers and the ocean. The 2024 winner of the Behavior Category, "The End of the Baitball", was shot by Spanish photographer Rafael Fernández Caballero. In the picture, Bryde's whales swallowed hundreds of kilograms of sardines in the Mexican waters, showing the fierce predation scene in the marine food chain, which is breathtaking. And "Saving Goliath" by Portuguese photographer Nuno Sá records the scene of people struggling to save stranded sperm whales, which not only shows human care for marine life, but also reminds us of the urgency of marine ecological protection. These works are not only a visual presentation of the underwater world, but also a concern and appeal for the marine ecological environment, inspiring the audience's love and protection awareness of the ocean.

　　The annual underwater photography competition is not only a photography competition, but also a visual feast about the ocean, an in-depth exploration of the underwater world, and an action to protect the marine ecology. It allows more people to understand and love the ocean through a series of shocking works, and then devote themselves to the action of protecting the ocean. Let us follow the photographer's lens and continue to dive into this blue dream world to explore more unknown wonders.

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