Each year, the world’s finest underwater images compete for the title of Underwater Photographer of the Year—a global celebration of artistry, innovation, and oceanic beauty.
The World’s Premier Underwater Photography Competition
The Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) competition is recognised as the leading international showcase of underwater imagery. First held in 1965 at the Brighton Underwater Film Festival, the original event named Phil Smith as the inaugural winner.
After the competition lapsed in the 1990s, Alex Mustard, Dan Bolt and Peter Rowlands decided to revive it, to mark its 50th anniversary. Since then, UPY has flourished and grown into the world’s most important underwater photography contest, with thousands of entries submitted annually from photographers across the globe.
Judged by Alex Mustard, Peter Rowlands, and Tobias Friedrich, UPY remains a competition by photographers, for photographers, with rules and values shaped by the underwater community itself.
In 2025, UPY received over 6,750 entries from across the world, and its winning images have been showcased by BBC, CNN, National Geographic, and exhibited at venues around the world.
More than a contest, UPY stands as a celebration of creativity, marine life, and the photographers who bring the underwater world vividly to life. Showcasing their images and their talent to millions.
Top: Alex with pioneers of underwater photography, including Phil Smith (seated in front of Alex), the first person named Underwater Photographer of the Year in 1965. Bottom: fifty years later, in 2015, Alex launches the UPY Exhibition at the National Marine Aquarium, UK.
“This magnificent collection of photographs celebrates life in the sea in all its diversity, splendour, and sheer mind-bending oddity.”
