About UPY
Today, UPY is the world’s largest and most prestigious contest for underwater photography. Our aim is to celebrate the diversity of underwater images, from ocean wildlife and conservation to shipwrecks and model shoots in the pool. The winning images are seen by hundreds of millions of people in mainstream media around the world. But how did UPY get here?
UPY History
Bernard Eaton kicked it off when he organised the first Brighton Underwater Film Festival in 1965 (the very competition that led to the founding of the British Society of Underwater Photographers in 1967. This original festival took place sporadically until its final edition in 2003. In 2014, Alex Mustard, Dan Bolt and Peter Rowlands decided to bring it back and the modern, annual Underwater Photographer of the Year Competition was born. Nigel Eaton, Bernard’s son, helped handing out awards and a gathering of underwater photography pioneers also joined Alex and Peter on stage, include Phil Smith, who was named Underwater Photographer of the Year in that very first edition.
Modern UPY
The rebooted UPY quickly became the most prestigious contest of its kind and continues to grow, setting records for entries every single year. There are many reasons it has been supported so enthusiastically by the community, but most prominent is the UPY entrant experience. All our judges see and debate every single image that is entered. While sitting in the same room, looking at the same screen. The winners are scrutinised multiple times, over multiple days. And because the judges make every single decision UPY gives each entrant detailed feedback on how each picture entered progressed through the rounds. UPY is also judged immediately after the entry closes and within a week everyone knows exactly how they fared, although the winners must keep it secret until our award ceremony in London. All this means photographers save their best images for UPY, and judges are given the time to find them. The result is that the contest has a strong reputation as the place you see stunning images first.
Showcasing such stunning underwater imagery creates a big splash. UPY has built an extensive list of mainstream media contacts, and the winning images go around the world each February. Many of our winners are interviewed on television and success in UPY has totally changed the lives of several entrants. The winning images from every year, along with video messages from the photographers can be seen on our website, and each collection is available to download for free in our electronic Yearbooks, with detailed backstories and judge’s commentary. The winning images are also exhibited widely in museums, galleries and events around the world.
Team UPY
UPY is organised by Dan Bolt and Alex Mustard. The judges are Alex Mustard, Peter Rowlands and Tobias Friedrich, Tobias took over from Martin Edge in UPY2022. UPY is very much a team effort involving Alex, Dan, Saeed Rashid, Peter Rowlands, Shannon Moran and Tobias Friedrich. It is also only made possible through support of our partners and category sponsors The Crown Estate, the Save Our Seas Foundation, PADI and, new for 2026, DIVEVOLK (links to their pages). Contact us if your company or organisation is interested in partnering with us and sponsoring a category.
