2017 winning images

"From my own point of view, I have been captivated not only by the winning images but also by the stories behind how those images were achieved. The conception, the planning and the physical effort to achieve a successful result; it is those efforts that we, as judges, pay our respects to by taking out two days to meet up, sit together and look in detail at all the images. It is a mammoth task but one that we all agree is a privilege to be part of."
Peter Rowlands, Chair of the jury 2017

Award Winners

Underwater Photographer of the Year: 'Dancing Octopus'
Gabriel Barathieu (France)

British Underwater Photographer of the Year: 'Out of the Blue'
Nick Blake (UK)

Up and coming Underwater Photographer of the Year : 'Oceanic in the Sky'
Horacio Martinez (Argentina)

Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year : 'Orca Pod'
Nicholai Georgiou (UK)

Wide Angle

Winner: 'One in a Million'
Ron Watkins (USA)

Runner Up: 'Out of the Blue'
Nick Blake (UK)

Third: 'Interaction'
Edwar Herreño (Colombia)

Highly Commended: 'Walking'
Eero Hällfors (Finland)

Highly Commended: 'Frozen Hunting'
Fabrice Guerin (France)

Highly Commended: 'Prince of the waters'
Yannick Gouguenheim (France)

Highly Commended: 'Morning Elegance'
Damien Mauric (UK)

Commended: 'Finally Whalesharks'
Patrick Neumann (Germany)

Commended: 'Silversides at Twilight'
Tony Myshlyaev (Canada)

Commended: 'Sun shine after the storm'
Mario Vitalini (UK)

Macro

Winner: 'Prey?'
So Yat Wai (Hong Kong)

Runner Up: 'Graceful ballet'
Jenny Stromvoll (Mozambique)

Third: 'Fire Shelter'
Dragos Dumitrescu (Romania)

Highly Commended: 'Backlight Shrimp'
Fábio Freitas (Brazil)

Highly Commended: 'Expectant Parents'
Susannah H. Snowden-Smith (Cayman Islands)

Highly Commended: 'Fishing fish'
Dragos Dumitrescu (Romania)

Highly Commended: 'Paddle Flap Rhinopias'
John Parker (UK)

Commended: 'Larval lionfish'
Steven Kovacs (USA)

Commended: 'Clownfish Swirl'
Luc Rooman (Belgium)

Commended: 'Nudi Art'
Katherine Lu (USA)

Wrecks

Winner: 'The wreck of the Louilla at sunset'
Csaba Tökölyi (Hungary)

Runner Up: 'Precontinental dreams'
Andrey Narchuk (Russia)

Third: 'Rising Sun - Nippo Maru'
Kieran Hatton (UK)

Highly Commended: 'The Haunted Room'
Nadya Kulagina (Kazakhstan)

Highly Commended: 'Propeller of the the "Michelle"'
Gianni Pecchiar (Italy)

Highly Commended: 'The operation was successful'
Torbjörn Gylleus (Sweden)

Highly Commended: 'Capturing History'
Tanya Houppermans (USA)

Commended: 'Jill Bomber'
Marcus Blatchford (UK)

Commended: 'Three Warriors'
Nadya Kulagina (Kazakhstan)

Commended: 'Last Flight'
Steve Jones (UK)

Behaviour

Winner: 'Your home and my home'
Qing Lin (Canada)

Runner Up: 'Humpback whale feeding on krill'
Jean Tresfon (South Africa)

Third: 'Cleaner'
Liang Fu (China)

Highly Commended: 'The festive table'
Mikko Saareila (Finland)

Highly Commended: 'Dolphins hunting'
Greg Lecoeur (France)

Highly Commended: 'Views at dawn'
Pasquale Vassallo (Italy)

Highly Commended: 'The Contenders'
Simone Caprodossi (United Arab Emirates)

Commended: 'Planktonado'
Warren Baverstock (United Arab Emirates)

Commended: 'Toads mating'
Luc Rooman (Belgium)

Commended: 'The Game'
Edwar Herreño (Colombia)

Portrait

Winner: 'Face to face'
ifj. Lorincz Ferenc (Hungary)

Runner Up: 'Big Red'
Guglielmo Cicerchia (Italy)

Third: 'Hypnotic'
Dragos Dumitrescu (Romania)

Highly Commended: 'Imp of darkness'
Damien Mauric (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Thanatos'
Liang Fu (China)

Highly Commended: 'Kiss me!'
David Barrio (Spain)

Highly Commended: 'Lophiodes fimbriatus'
Jeff Milisen (USA)

Commended: 'Green Turtles in the rays'
Greg Lecoeur (France)

Commended: 'Sealion playing with starfish'
Francis Pérez (Spain)

Commended: 'Hyppocampus guttulatus double exposure'
Adriano Morettin (Italy)

Compact

Winner: 'I’ve got my eye on you!'
Jenny Stromvoll (Mozambique)

Runner Up: 'Zeus free swimming'
Fabio Russo (Italy)

Third: 'Orca'
David Alpert (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Mediterranean sea Regalecus glesne'
Nicolas Cimiterra (France)

Highly Commended: 'Coral safehaven'
Jenny Stromvoll (Mozambique)

Highly Commended: 'Hunter of the Night'
Lorincz Ferenc (Hungary)

Highly Commended: 'Hanging Around'
Alexander Franz (Germany)

Commended: 'Hello World!'
Jenny Stromvoll (Mozambique)

Commended: 'Welcome To The Jungle...'
Linda McKean (USA)

Commended: 'Negative pole'
Fabio Russo (Italy)

Up & Coming

Winner: 'Oceanic in the Sky'
Horacio Martinez (Argentina)

Runner Up: 'A migratory alewife swims through turbulent flow.'
Sean Landsman (Canada)

Third: 'Under My Umbrella'
Catalin Craciun (Romania)

Highly Commended: 'Orca Pod'
Nicholai Georgiou (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Purple shelter'
Simon Staiger (Germany)

Highly Commended: 'Medusa Blenny on the Lookout'
Jade Hoksbergen (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Tiger Beach'
Dave Baker (UK)

Commended: 'Through the coral window'
Léna Remy (France)

Commended: 'Sunset'
Patryk Pinski (UK)

Commended: 'Whale calf posing'
Christophe Lapeze (France)

British Waters Wide Angle

Winner: 'Eye to eye'
Melvin Redeker (The Netherlands)

Runner Up: 'Competition'
Richard Shucksmith (UK)

Third: 'Under the old packhorse bridge'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Amphibious helicopter'
Steve Jones (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Three's a Crowd'
Spencer Burrows (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Tumbling Autumn Leaves'
Dave Peake (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Blue wow factor'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Commended: 'Sun Nomad'
Laura Storm (UK)

Commended: 'Lodberry Jellyfish'
Cy Sullivan (UK)

Commended: 'Can I help you?'
Ellen Cuylaerts (Cayman Islands)

British Waters Macro

Winner: 'Dragon display'
Kirsty Andrews (UK)

Runner Up: 'Amphipod shrimp, Iphimedia obesa'
Matt Doggett (UK)

Third: 'River Fly Nymph'
Paul Colley (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Flabellina pellucida'
Robert Bailey (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Squat lobster quadrille'
Becky Hitchin (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Purple baubles in a sea of yellow'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Highly Commended: 'The eyes have it'
Trevor Rees (UK)

Commended: 'Hippolyte prideauxiana'
Robert Bailey (UK)

Commended: 'Slug'
Marcus Blatchford (UK)

Commended: 'Translucent Shrimp'
David Morgan (UK)

British Waters Compact

Winner: 'Scottish Fireworks Anemone'
Simon Yates (UK)

Runner Up: 'John Dory in the weed'
Paula Bailey (UK)

Third: 'Mute Swan feeding underwater'
Ian Wade (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Cruising Predator'
Mark Launchbury (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Spilt Level tadpoles'
Ian Wade (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Wolf Fish'
Paula Bailey (UK)

Highly Commended: 'Lobster'
Paula Bailey (UK)

Commended: 'Coryphella sea slug eating hydroid'
Kerry Lewis (UK)

Commended: 'Zeus Faber'
Guy Mitchell (UK)

Commended: 'Dahlia anemone'
Charles Erb (UK)

Underwater Photography Book of the Year

Winner: 'BLACKWATER OPEN BLUE'
Scott Tuason (Philippines)

Runner Up: 'Small Blue World Little People, Big Adentures'
Jason Isley (UK)

Third: 'Freshwater Fishes of Britain'
Jack Perks (UK)

UPY 2025