2016 winning images

"I hope you enjoy this inspiring feast of imagery as much as we did during the judging. It is a pleasure and a privilege to sit down with Peter and Martin and spend two days devouring, digesting and cogitating on the entries. We all have different tastes, which means that UPY will always represent a wide range of underwater photography genres, but we are united by an insatiable enthusiasm for great underwater imagery and respectful of each other’s opinions. Selecting the winners is enjoyable, but also pressured. We’re all well aware that nobody’s work is judged as meticulously as the judges! But I can reassure all entrants that a thorough judging process will always be a central part of UPY’s DNA. Key is bringing all the judges together in one room, all looking at and discussing all the images face to face over two days."
Alex Mustard, Chair of the jury 2016

Award Winners

Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016: 'Gold'
Davide Lopresti (Italy)

British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016: 'Catshark Supernova'
Dan Bolt (UK)

Up and coming Underwater Photographer of the year Worldwide 2016: 'Three Pillars - Practice, Patience & Luck!'
Pier Mane (South Africa)

Up and coming British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016: 'Fired up and almost ready to go'
Marty Engels Dunmore (UK)

Wide Angle

Winner: 'Underwater fisherman'
Mike Korostelev (Russia)

Runner Up: 'Mangrove sunset'
Fabio Galbiati (Italy)

Third: 'Lagoon'
Greg Lecoeur (France)

Highly Commended: 'Green Turtle with remora fish'
BARATHIEU Gabriel (France)

Highly Commended: 'Pilot Whales'
GREG LECOEUR (France)

Highly Commended: 'Swim'
Davide Lopresti (Italy)

Highly Commended: 'Beach Guardians'
ALEJANDRO PRIETO (Mexico)

Commended: 'Seven'
Mathieu Foulquié (France)

Commended: 'Blue ballet'
Damien Mauric (UK)

Commended: 'Icebreaker'
Tobias Friedrich (Deutschland)

Macro

Winner: 'Gold'
Davide Lopresti (Italy)

Runner Up: 'Pelagic Octopus at Night'
Helen Brierley (US)

Third: 'The odd couple'
Gianni Colucci (Italia)

Highly Commended: 'Timeless Moment!'
Behnaz Afsahi (Canada)

Highly Commended: 'Lace Model'
Qing Lin (Canada)

Highly Commended: 'Black water'
GREG LECOEUR (France)

Highly Commended: 'Lightning'
Adriano Morettin (Italy)

Commended: 'Starry Weever'
Marc Casanovas (Spain)

Commended: 'Goby on a Sea Pen'
Ross Gudgeon (Australia)

Commended: 'Spotlight'
Matteo Visconti (Italia)

Wrecks

Winner: 'A Family Affair...'
Thomas Heckmann (Germany)

Runner Up: 'Truck Parking'
Anders Nyberg (Sverige)

Third: 'Beaufighter'
Steve Jones (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Need to change a tire'
Anders Nyberg (Sverige)

Highly Commended: 'The Tank'
Saeed Rashid (UK)

Highly Commended: 'USS Kittiwake and diver'
Christian Vizl (Mexico)

Highly Commended: 'Exploring the Podsnap'
Spencer Burrows (UK)

Commended: 'The steering wheel'
Rui Guerra (Portugal)

Commended: 'Rozi tugboat'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Commended: 'USS Kittiwake shipwreck'
Susannah H. Snowden-Smith (Grand Cayman)

Behaviour

Winner: 'Turtle eating Jellyfish'
Richard Carey (Thailand)

Runner Up: 'WHAT FEEDS BENEATH'
ALEJANDRO PRIETO (Mexico)

Third: 'Millions of crabs'
Rui Guerra (Portugal)

Highly Commended: 'Crunch'
Theresa A. Guise (U.S.A.)

Highly Commended: 'Pair of fish cleaners in action'
Paolo Bausani (Italia)

Highly Commended: 'All-you-can-eat eggs buffet'
Vania Kam (Hong Kong)

Highly Commended: 'Hunting Long Nosed Hawkfish'
Damien McGuirk (Ireland)

Commended: 'Battle at the Nine'
Ralph Pace (USA)

Commended: 'Life Begins - Bumphead Parrotfish Spawning'
Richard Barnden (Palau)

Commended: 'Torrent'
Susannah H. Snowden-Smith (Grand Cayman)

Up & Coming

Winner: 'Three Pillars - Practice, Patience & Luck!'
Pier Mane (South Africa)

Runner Up: 'Fired up and almost ready to go'
Marty Engels Dunmore (UK)

Third: 'The eye of a Butterfly'
Spencer Burrows (UK)

Highly Commended: 'The Great Sea Eagle'
Pier Mane (South Africa)

Highly Commended: 'Carribbean Reef Sharks'
Marty Engels Dunmore (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Transparent Trick'
ifj. Lorincz Ferenc (Hungary)

Highly Commended: 'Bass'
Oliver Anlauf (Germany)

Commended: 'White-spotted fighter'
Fabio Russo (Italy)

Commended: 'The Majestic Purple Dame'
Pier Mane (South Africa)

Commended: 'Lighting the Cockpit'
Spencer Burrows (UK)

British Waters Wide Angle

Winner: 'Part of the Illusion'
Marcus Blatchford (UK)

Runner Up: 'Shocked Shark'
Will Clark (UK)

Third: 'Elan valley trout in winter'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Set the Ray to Jelly'
Nick Blake (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Inquisitive flatties'
Richard Shucksmith (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Tadpole shoal'
Matt Doggett (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Discovery'
Steve Jones (UK)

Commended: 'Pike in quarry'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Commended: 'Blue Blur'
Will Clark (UK)

Commended: 'Early morning plumose anemonies'
Dan Bolt (UK)

British Waters Macro

Winner: 'Catshark Supernova'
Dan Bolt (UK)

Runner Up: 'Planktonic Predator'
George Stoyle (UK)

Third: 'Safe haven'
Cathy Lewis (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Shanny'
Mark N Thomas (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Slug'
Alex Tattersall (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Angel'
Richard Shucksmith (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Skeleton shrimp'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Commended: 'Intruder beware'
Cathy Lewis (UK)

Commended: 'Inquisitive Cuckoo Wrasse'
Saeed Rashid (UK)

Commended: 'Friend or Foe?'
Dan Bolt (UK)

British Waters Compact

Winner: 'Hello Ducky!'
Paul Colley (UK)

Runner Up: 'Tompot looking out'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Third: 'British native crayfish'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Lobster'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Pike on the move'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Pink fins taste much better'
Sara Bowring (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Hello give us a kiss'
Sara Bowring (UK)

Commended: 'Scilly Seal!'
Nic Faulks (UK)

Commended: 'Night Time Stroll'
Sara Bowring (UK)

Commended: 'Lazy Day In The Sun'
Sara Bowring (UK)

UPY 2025