Underwater Photographer of the Year

The Underwater Photographer of the Year is widely considered the world’s premiere underwater photography contest. The contest traces its roots back to the first Brighton Underwater Film Festival in 1965, where Phil Smith and Underwater Photographer of the Year (pictured below). But by the 1990s the contest had run out of steam. In 2014, Alex Mustard decided that the UK needed a world class underwater photography competition again and along with the UPY team of Peter Rowlands, Dan Bolt, Martin Edge and Saeed Rashid, UPY was reborn to mark the 50th Anniversary of that inaugural contest.

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Underwater Photographer of the Year at the London International Dive Show in 2015, with (l-r) Geoff Hardwood (Underwater Photographer of the Year 1966), Peter Rowlands (UPY judge and British Underwater Photographer of the Year 1983), Tim Glover (Underwater Photography pioneer), Mike Busuttili (Underwater Photography pioneer), Alex Mustard, Phil Smith ((Underwater Photographer of the Year 1965), Colin Doeg (British Underwater Photographer of the Year 1968, BSoUP founder).

UPY is judged each year by Alex Mustard, Peter Rowlands and Tobias Friedrich (with Martin Edge now retired from judging). UPY is very much a competition by photographers for photographers with the rules, judging and ethos that the community really wants. 2015 saw over 2500 images entered from over 40 different countries. The 2016 edition attracted 3500 entries from 54 different countries and in 2017 this jumped again to 4500 entries from 67 different countries. The 2023 edition topped 6000 entries, which is a most impressive number given that underwater photography is a niche discipline. The winning images have been seen by millions around and shown in major newspapers, BBC, CNN, National Geographic and many more. The winning prints have been on display at dive shows like Go Diving and LIDS and at Fox Talbot Museum of Photography, the Chavonnes Battery Museum in Cape Town and the National Marine Aquarium, and many more.

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Above Alex Mustard launches the UPY 2015 Exhibition at the National Marine Aquarium.

“This magnificent collection of photographs celebrates life in the sea in all its diversity, splendour, and sheer mind-bending oddity.”

Professor Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation, University of Exeter

 

The best way to enjoy the winners of UPY is through the free, downloadable Yearbooks:

2023 – https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/winners/upy-yearbook/

2022 – https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/2052/UPYYearbook2022.pdf

2021 – https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/2052/upyyearbook2021.pdf

2020 – https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/1878/upyyearbook2020.pdf

2019 – https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/1716/upyyearbook2019.pdf

2018 – https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/1528/upyyearbook2018.pdf

2017 – http://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/1228/upyyearbook2017.pdf

2016 – http://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/1229/upyyearbook2016.pdf

2015 – http://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/media/1230/upyyearbook2015.pdf