2018 Ocean Art Contest Winners
First of all, we would like to congratulate everyone who joined the 2018 Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition! This competition is one of the most prestigious nature photo contests in the world, and the winning images represent some of the best underwater photographs of the year taken at some of the best scuba diving locations in the world. Photographers from 70 countries entered images, and over $80,000 in sponsor prizes have been awarded, making the Ocean Art prize value among the highest in the world.
Winners were asked to rank their prize choices and were awarded 1 prize based on totaling points from all their winning photos.
We would also like to extend your much appreciation to our world-renowned judges Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and Scott Gietler for judging the competition, Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel for their support.
Winning images have been covered by hundreds of international media outlets including the Washington Post, CNET, The Atlantic, South China Morning Post, Gizmodo, Yahoo, Lonely Planet, Mother Nature Network, My Modern Net, Business Insider, Sport Diver, Dive Magazine, Smithsonian, and many, many more!
Quick Links:
Best of Show
Click photo to view full size
Best in Show - Duncan Murrell
Shot in Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philippines
Wide-Angle Category
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - François Baelen
Shot in Saint-Gilles, Reunion Island with Sony A7III
2nd Place - Grant Thomas
Shot in Ha’apai, Tonga with Canon 5D Mark III
3rd Place - Celia Kujala
Shot in Jurien Bay Marine Park, Western Australia, Australia with Nikon D500
4th Place - Geo Cloete
Shot in West Coast, South Africa with Nikon D300 Camera
5th Place - Edwar Herreno
Shot in Bat Island, Costa Rica with Nikon D800
6th Place - Daniel Flormann
Shot in Jardins de la Reina, Cuba with Canon 7D
Honorable Mention - Wu Yung Sen
Shot in British Columbia, Canada with Sony A7R III
Honorable Mention - Steve Kopp
Shot in Solomon Island with Canon 5D Mark IV
Macro
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Jeff Milisen
Shot in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii with Canon T1i
2nd Place - Chun Zhou
3rd Place - Fabio Iardino
Shot in Trieste Gulf, Italy with Nikon D850
4th Place - Jinggong Zhang
Shot in Minamatashi, Kumamotoken, Japan with Nikon D850
5th Place -- Tianhong Wang
Shot in Lembeh, North Sulawesi, Indonesia with Canon 5D Mark III
6th Place - Stefano Proakis
Shot in Argentario, Italy with Nikon D800E
Honorable Mention - Shane Gross
Shot in Flores, Indonesia with Nikon D500
Honorable Mention - Dennis Corpuz
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D7000 Camera
Marine Life Behavior
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Duncan Murrell
Shot in Honda Bay, Palawan, the Philippines
2nd Place - Anders Nyberg
Shot diving Bali, Indonesia with Nikon D500
3rd Place - François Baelen
Shot in Padangbai, Bali with Sony A7III
4th Place - Richard Barnden
Shot in French Polynesia with Nikon D810
5th Place - Flavio Vailati
Shot in Capo Noli (SV), Italy with Nikon D500 Camera
6th Place - Liang Fu
Shot in Tulamben Bali Indonesia with Canon 5DS
7th Place - Mei Hing Sin
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia with Canon 7D Mark II
Honorable Mention - Doris Vierkötter
Shot in Bali, Indonesia with Canon 5DSR Camera
Honorable Mention - Richard Barnden
Shot in Republic of Palau with Nikon D810
Honorable Mention - Els Van Den Borre
Shot in Ambon, Indonesia with Nikon D800
Portrait
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Claudio Zori
Shot in Hurst Island, Canada with Nikon D300S
Shot in Banco Chinchorro, Mexico with Canon 6D Camera
3rd Place - Doris Vierkötter
Shot in Bali, Indonesia with Canon 7D Mark II
4th Place - Shane Keena
Shot in H'aApai, Kingdom of Tonga with Canon 5D MKIII
5th Place - Mirko Zanni
Shot in Adams River, British Columbia, Canada with Canon 5D Mark III
Honorable Mention - Jinggong Zhang
Shot in Miwura, Kanagawaken, Japan with Nikon D850
Honorable Mention - Matteo Visconti
Shot in Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan with Nikon D850
Honorable Mention - Kyler Badten
Shot in Haleiwa, Hawaii with Canon 7D Mark II
Cold Water
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Greg Lecoeur
2nd Place - Tyler Schiffman
Shot in Monterey bay, United States with Sony A7R III
3rd Place - Claudio Zori
Shot in British Columbia, Canada with Nikon D300S
4th Place - Rémi Masson
Shot in Black Lake, Alps, France with Canon 5D Mark IV Camera
5th Place - Eiko Jones
Shot in British Columbia, Canada with Nikon D800e Camera
Honorable Mention - Henley Spiers
Shot in Devon, U.K. with Nikon D850 Camera
Honorable Mention - Simon Lorenz
Shot in Galapagos, Ecuador with Nikon D850
Honorable Mention - Adam Martin
Shot in Iceland with Canon 5D Mark III
Nudibranchs
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Flavio Vailati
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Nikon D500 Camera
2nd Place - Fredrik Ehrenström
Shot in Norway with Nikon D200 Camera
3rd Place - Bettina Balnis
Shot in Barclay Sound, BC, Canada with Nikon D7000
4th Place - Giacomo Giovannini
Shot in Taranto, Italy with Nikon D610
Honorable Mention - Chun Ho Tam
Shot in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia with Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Edison So
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon 5D Mark III
2nd Place - Wayne Jones
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon 5D Mark IV
3rd Place - Ludovic Galko-Rundgen
Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia with Canon 70D
4th Place - Leon Zhao
Shot in Southern Leyte, Philippines with Nikon D750
5th Place - Gaetano Gargiulo
Shot in Chowder Bay, NSW, Australia with Nikon D800
Honorable Mention - Iyad Suleyman
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon 60D
Novice DSLR
Click photo to view full size
1st Place- Alvin Cheung
Shot it Socorro, Mexico with Nikon D810 Camera
2nd Place - Antonio Pastrana
Shot in Jucaro, Cuba with Nikon D850 Camera
3rd Place - Marie Charlotte Ropert
Shot in Moorea Island, French Polynesia with Nikon D500 Camera
4th Place - Steven Walsh
Shot in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia with Sony A6500 Camera
5th Place - Alvin Cheung
Shot in Romblon, Philippines with Nikon D810 Camera
Mirrorless Wide-Angle
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Eugene Kitsios
Shot in Bimini, Bahamas with Olympus E-M1 Camera
2nd Place - Pier Mane
Shot in Solomon Islands with Olympus E-M1 Mark II Camera
3rd Place - Pier Main
Shot in Galapagos Island with Olympus E-M1 Mark II Camera
4th Place - Max Holba
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia with Olympus E-M1 Mark II Camera
Honorable Mention - Fabrice Dudenhofer
Shot in Red Sea, Egypt with Olympus E-M1 Mark II Camera
Honorable Mention - Pier Mane
Shot in Galapagos with Olympus E-M1 Mark II Camera
Mirrorless Macro
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Steven Walsh
Shot in Blairgowrie Pier, Victoria, Australia with Sony A7III Camera
2nd Place - Owen Yen
Shot in Green Island, Taiwan with Olympus EM1 MK II Camera
3rd Place - Younghun Kan
Shot in Lembeh, Indonesia with Sony A7R II Camera
4th Place - Enrico Somogyi
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Olympus E-PL6
Honorable Mention - Rafi Amar
Shot in Shark Paradise, Bahamas with Olympus OM-D E-M1
Mirrorless Behavior
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Fabrice Dudenhofer
Shot in Amami Oshima Island, Japan with Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
2nd Place - Debbie Wallace
Shot in Morehead City, North Carolina, USA with Olympus OMD EM-1 Mark II
3rd Place - Yeh Hung Wei
Shot in Taiwan with Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
4th Place - Lorenzo Terraneo
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Panasonic GX8
Shot in Roca Partida, Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico with Olympus E-PL1 Camera
Honorable Mention - Pier Mane
Shot in Sodwana Bay, South Africa with Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Compact Wide-Angle
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Melody Chuang
Shot in North-East Coast, Taiwan with Olympus TG5 Camera
2nd Place - Andrea Falcomatà
Shot in Argentario, Argentarola, Italy with Sony RX 100 V
3rd Place - Alessandro Raho
Shot in Noli, Italy with Canon G16 Camera
4th Place - Andreas Schmid
Shot in Galapagos Island, Ecuador with Canon G7X Mark II
Honorable Mention - Jon Anderson
Shot in Monterey, California, USA with a Canon G7X
Honorable Mention - Miguel Ramirez
Shot in Cap la Houssaye, in Reunion island with Olympus TG5 Camera
Compact Macro
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Sejung Jang
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Olympus TG-5
2nd Place - Kate Tinson
Shot in North Sulawesi, Indonesia with Olympus TG4
3rd Place - Matteo Pighi
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Canon G12 Camera
4th Place - Sunbong Jong
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Olympus TG-4 Camera
Honorable Mention - Jim Chen
Shot in Romblon, Philippines with Olympus TG-4
Compact Behavior
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - PT Hirschfield
Shot in Victoria, Australia with Canon G12 Camera
2nd Place - Miguel Ramirez
Shot in Grand Anse, Reunion island with Olympus TG4
3rd Place - Jin Woo Lee
Shot in Roca Partida, Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico with RX100 V Camera
4th Place - Danny Van Belle
Shot in Similan Islands, Thailand with Nikon S3 Camera
Honorable Mention - Dennis Corpuz
Shot in Anilao, Philippines with Olympus TG5 Camera
Honorable Mention - Jack Berthomier
Shot in Ouemo’s bay, Noumea, New Caledonia with Sony RX100 II Camera
Underwater Art
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Bruno Van Saen
Shot in Bali, Indonesia with Nikon D810 Camera
2nd Place - Jordan Robins
Shot in Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay, NSW, Australia with Canon 5D MK IV
3rd Place - Guillaume Néry
Shot in Yucatan, Mexico with Sony A7R II Camera
4th Place - Dennis Vandermeersch
Shot in composite locations with Nikon D810 and Nikon D300 Cameras
Honorable Mention - Alexandre St. Jean
Shot in Mérida, Mexico with Canon 5D Mark IV Camera
Honorable Mention - Thomas Heckmann
Shot in a German pool with Nikon D800E Camera
Reefscapes
Click photo to view full size
1st Place - Yen-Yi Lee
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia with Canon 5D Mark IV Camera
2nd Place - Tobias Friedrich
Shot in Red Sea, Egypt with Canon 1DX Mark II
3rd Place - Alex Lindbloom
Shot in Northern Komodo National Park, Indonesia with Panasonic GH5
4th Place - Renee Capozzola
Shot in Pulau Babi, Flores, Indonesia with Canon 5D Mark III Camera
Honorable Mention - Fred Bavendam
Shot in Raja Ampat, Indonesia with Nikon D800 Camera
Honorable Mention - Brett M Garner
Shot in Great Barrier Reef, Australia with Nikon D300 Camera Camera
Complete List of Winners
Best of Show
“Courting Devil Ray Ballet” by Duncan Murrell
Wide-Angle
1st François Baelen
2nd Grant Thomas
3rd Celia Kujala
4th Geo Cloete
5th Edwar Herreno
6th Daniel Flormann
HM Steve Kopp
HM Wu Yung Sen
Macro
1st Jeff Milisen
2nd Chun Zhou
3rd Fabio Iardino
4th Jinggong Zhang
5th Tianhong Wang
6th Stefano Proakis
HM Shane Gross
HM Dennis Corpuz
Coldwater
1st Greg Lecoeur
2nd Tyler Schiffman
3rd Claudio Zori
4th Rémi Masson
5th Eiko Jones
HM Henley Spiers
HM Simon Lorenz
HM Adam Martin
Portrait
1st Claudio Zori
2nd Christina Barringer
3rd Doris Vierkötter
4th Shane Keena
5th Mirko Zanni
HM Jinggong Zhang
HM Matteo Visconti
HM Kyler Badten
Marine Life Behavior
1st Duncan Murrell
2nd Anders Nyberg
3rd François Baelen
4th Richard Barnden
5th Flavio Vailati
6th Liang Fu
7th Mei Hing Sin
HM Doris Vierkötter
HM Richard Barnden
HM Els Van Den Borre
Reefscapes
1st Yen-Yi Lee
2nd Tobias Friedrich
3rd Alex Lindbloom
4th Renee Capozzola
HM Fred Bavendam
HM Brett M Garner
Novice DSLR
1st Alvin Cheung
2nd Antonio Pastrana
3rd Marie Charlotte
4th Steven Walsh
5th Alvin Cheung
Mirrorless Macro
1st Steven Walsh
2nd Owen Yen
3rd Younghun Kan
4th Enrico Somogyi
HM Rafi Amar
Mirrorless Behavior
1st Fabrice Dudenhofer
2nd Debbie Wallace
3rd Yeh Hung Wei
4th Lorenzo Terraneo
5th Tiffany Poon
HM Pier Mane
Mirrorless Wide-Angle
1st Eugene Kitsios
2nd Pier Mane
3rd Pier Mane
4th Max Holba
HM Fabrice Dudenhofer
HM Pier Mane
Compact Macro
1st Sejung Jang
2nd Kate Tinson
3rd Matteo Pighi
4th Sunbong Jung
HM Jim Chen
Compact Marine Life Behavior
1st PT Hirschfield
2nd Miguel Ramirez
3rd Jin Woo Lee
4th Danny Van Belle
HM Dennis Corpuz
HM Jack Berthomier
Compact Wide-Angle
1st Melody Chuang
2nd Andrea Falcomatà
3rd Alessandro Raho
4th Andreas Schmid
HM Jon Anderson
HM Miguel Ramirez
Nudibranchs
1st Flavio Vailati
2nd Fredrik Ehrenström
3rd Bettina Balnis
4th Giacomo Giovannini
HM Chun Ho Tam
Supermacro
1st Edison So
2nd Wayne Jones
3rd Ludovic Galko-Rundgren
4th Leon Zhao
5th Gaetano Gargiulo
HM Iyad Suleyman
Underwater Art
1st Bruno Van Saen
2nd Jordan Robins
3rd Guillaume Néry
4th Dennis Vandermeersch
HM Alexandre St-Jean
HM Thomas Heckmann
Click here for judges comments on this year's competition
Please
Support the Ocean Art Sponsors
Quick Links to All Categories:
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
SUPPORT THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY GUIDE:
The Best Service & Prices on u/w Photo Gear
Visit Bluewater Photo & Video for all your underwater photography and video gear. Click, or call the team at (310) 633-5052 for expert advice!
The Best Pricing, Service & Expert Advice to Book your Dive Trips
Bluewater Travel is your full-service scuba travel agency. Let our expert advisers plan and book your next dive vacation. Run by divers, for divers.
