2023 Winners

Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023 results gallery

Welcome to the Underwater Photographer of the Year winner's collection 2023.

"Dive into the winning images from UPY 2023! This year we attracted a record number of entrants and a record number of pictures – thank you to every photographer who entered. As always, the collection is a great reminder that while underwater photography is a specialist discipline, there is huge diversity within it. Our winning photographers come from around the world, as do their images. The pictures feature plants, animals, people, shipwrecks (and planes), caves and underwater scenery. The shots come from the Arctic to the Antarctic and many ocean places in between. There winners from the local swimming pool, many photos from freshwater, including Lake Baikal the world’s largest lake, and our overall winner was taken in the world’s greatest river, the Amazon. Please enjoy every single picture."

Alex Mustard (Chair of the UPY Jury)

Don't forget: this years' winning images, backstories, judge's comments and full shooting information are available in the Yearbook

Award Winners

Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023: 'Boto encantado'
Kat Zhou (United States)

Kat Zhou from the United States - Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023

and

Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023

British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023: 'The swarm'
Ollie Clarke (Australia)

Ollie Clarke from the United Kingdom - British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023

Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023: 'An island's wild seas'
Theo Vickers (United Kingdom)

Theo Vickers from the United Kingdom - Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2023

‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2022: 'Hopeless'
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan) (Spain)

Alvaro Herrero (Mekan) from Spain - ‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2023

Marelux Wide Angle

Winner: 'Fade'
J. Gregory Sherman (United States)

J Gregory Sherman from the United States talks about his shot which won the Marelux Wide Angle category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Crowd Control'
Andy Schmid (Switzerland)

Third: 'Sky full of rays'
Rafael Fernandez Caballero (Spain)

Highly Commended: 'Secrets of the Cave'
Martin Broen (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Viva México'
Fan Ping (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Family bonds'
Rafael Fernandez Caballero (Spain)

Highly Commended: 'Kelp forest gold'
Douglas Klug (United States)

Commended: 'Brought by the current'
Masayuki Agawa ( United States)

Commended: 'The blue eye'
YUJING GUO (China)

Commended: 'Concealed'
Sina Ritter (Germany)

Marelux Macro

Winner: 'Unsung'
Shane Gross (Canada)

Shane Gross from Canada talks about his shot which won the Marelux Macro category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'New life'
Sage Ono ( United States)

Third: 'Relentless gaze'
Kat Zhou ( United States)

Highly Commended: 'Seadragon swirl'
Nicolas REMY (Australia)

Highly Commended: 'The witches’ eye'
Ishino Shota (Japan)

Highly Commended: 'Peas in a pod'
Ipah Uid Lynn (Malaysia)

Highly Commended: 'Hard at Work – Behind the Scenes'
David Alpert ( United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Pinkaboo'
Chris Gug ( United States)

Commended: 'Enter the dragon'
Stefano Scortegagna (Italy)

Commended: 'Coleman Shrimps On Urchin'
Katarzyna Battenfeld (Germany)

Wrecks

Winner: 'Engine with a saddle'
Brett Eldridge ( United States)

Brett Eldridge from the United States talks about his shot which won the Wrecks category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Salem feeling'
Nicolai Posininsky (Germany)

Third: 'Mahusan wreck'
René B. Andersen (Denmark)

Highly Commended: 'Teti wreck'
Borut Furlan (Slovenia)

Highly Commended: 'Guardian of the Thistlegorm'
Jon Anderson (United States)

Highly Commended: 'The Bridge'
David Alpert ( United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Torpilleur 178 panorama'
Nicolas BARRAQUE (France)

Commended: 'The Eye of the funnel'
Brook Peterson (United States)

Commended: 'The Flying Fortress'
Peter Azman (Italy)

Commended: 'The Baltic's Thistlegorm'
Pekka Tuuri (Finland)

Behaviour

Winner: 'Make love not war'
Yury Ivanov (Indonesia)

Yury Ivanov from Indonesia talks about his shot which won the Behaviour category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Double whale time'
Wojciech Dopierala (Poland)

Third: 'Chew with your mouth closed!'
Bryant Turffs (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Bluehead Chub and Rosyside Dace'
Isaac Szabo ( United States)

Highly Commended: 'Giant feast'
Jake Wilton (Australia)

Highly Commended: 'Sea otter pups'
Ralph Pace (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Sea lion plays with iguana'
Sylvie Ayer (Switzerland)

Commended: 'Cat shark laying'
Filippo Borghi (Italy)

Commended: 'Organised chaos!!'
Paul Pettitt ( United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Double trouble'
Simon Lorenz (Hong Kong)

Portrait

Winner: 'The trunk'
Suliman Alatiqi (Kuwait)

Suliman A. from Kuwait talks about his shot which won the Portrait category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Curiosity among icebergs'
Rafael Fernandez Caballero (Spain)

Third: 'Marilyn bubble 2.0'
Thomas Heckmann (Germany)

Highly Commended: 'Bony-eared assfish'
Steven Kovacs ( United States)

Highly Commended: 'Eye of the beholder'
Bryant Turffs ( United States)

Highly Commended: 'Cave diver at Swiss Siphon'
Fan Ping (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Unicorn goby'
Yazid Shaari (Libya)

Commended: 'Nerpa, the Baikal Seal'
Dmitry Kokh (United Arab Emirates)

Commended: 'Mirror reflection'
George Kuo-Wei Kao (Taiwan)

Commended: 'Spaceman Zachary Ray, 7, splashes in'
Lucy Ray/Starfish Photography (United Kingdom)

Black & White

Winner: 'El Blanco - The White One'
Don Silcock (Australia)

Don Silcock from Australia talks about his shot which won the Black & White category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Jaws reborn'
Victor Huertas (Australia)

Third: 'The cloud'
FABRICE GUÉRIN (France)

Highly Commended: 'Cruising the sand patch'
Brooke Pyke (Australia)

Highly Commended: 'Cold water siren'
Cecilia Velázquez (Mexico)

Highly Commended: 'Sea turtle serenity'
Renee Capozzola (United States)

Highly Commended: 'The shadow of the Mediterranean'
Quico Abadal (Spain)

Commended: 'Binary code'
Mizael Palomeque (Mexico)

Commended: 'Rorschach'
Michael Freifeld (United States)

Commended: 'Circle in the sun'
Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

Compact

Winner: 'Klunzinger's wrasse in motion'
Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

Enrico Somogyi from Germany talks about his shot which won the Compact category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Welcome'
Takeshi Iioka (Japan)

Third: 'Water ballet'
James Rokop (United States)

Highy Commended: 'Flying beneath the surface'
Miguel RAMIREZ (France)

Highly Commended: 'Social isolation'
Joe FitzGibbon (Ireland)

Highly Commended: 'Running in the fields'
David Pleuvret (Reunion)

Highly Commended: 'Squat lobster in crinoid'
Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto (Italy)

Commended: 'Fried egg jellyfish'
Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

Commended: 'Fluo lizardfish'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Blennys home'
Enrico Somogyi (Germany)

Up & Coming

Winner: 'Boto encantado'
Kat Zhou (United States)

Kat Zhou from the United States talks about her shot which won the Up & Coming category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'The swarm'
Ollie Clarke (Australia)

Third: 'Quintuple exposure'
Barney Smith (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'My kingdom'
Simon Biddie (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Catfish constellation'
Shane Smith (New Zealand)

Highly Commended: 'Shortfin mako'
Jules Jacobs (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Motherhood'
Kat Zhou (United States)

Commended: 'Aggregating anemones fluoresce under storm clouds'
Jules Jacobs (United States)

Commended: 'Light in the dark'
Nuria Costa (Spain)

Commended: 'Larval ribbonfish'
Kat Zhou (United States)

British Waters Wide Angle

Winner: 'An island's wild seas'
Theo Vickers (United Kingdom)

Theo Vickers from the United Kingdom talks about his shot which won the British Waters Wide Angle category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Scillonian reflections'
MNimmo (United Kingdom)

Third: 'Oily blue'
Nicholas More (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'An inquisitive nursehound in the morning sunshine'
Martin Stevens ( United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Firework duet'
Dan Bolt (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'River dance'
Jenny Stock (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Twilight at the wreck'
Mark Kirkland (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Sunrise swans'
Mark Kirkland (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Concealed'
Aaron Sanders (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'E49 submarine'
Kirsty Andrews ( United Kingdom)

British Waters Macro

Winner: 'Egg eaters'
Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)

Kirsty Andrews from the United Kingdom talks about her shot which won the British Waters Macro category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Sanctuary'
MNimmo (United Kingdom)

Third: 'Companion'
Ryan Stalker (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Curvacious kelp'
Sandra Stalker (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Fur coat'
Cathy Lewis (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'It's a fish-eat-fish world'
Cathy Lewis (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Lumpy'
Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Hidden gem'
Cathy Lewis ( United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Spiral of life'
MNimmo (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Gold'
Ryan Stalker (United Kingdom)

British Waters Living Together

Winner: 'Pipe reef'
Dan Bolt (United Kingdom)

Dan Bolt from the United Kingdom talks about his shot which won the British Waters Living Together category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Wandering mermaid'
Lukasz Jan Kowalski (United Kingdom)

Third: 'Mussel lines'
Henley Spiers (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Pash and pal'
Martyn Guess (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Freedom'
Andy Colls (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Edible crab under Portencross Pier'
Mark Kirkland (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Valentine tank reef'
Dan Bolt (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Anthropocene anemones'
Billy Arthur (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Snorkelling the Smalls'
Kirsty Andrews (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Times they aren't a-changing'
Barney Smith (United Kingdom)

British Waters Compact

Winner: 'Crack rock blenny'
Tony Reed (United Kingdom)

Tony Reed from the United Kingdom talks about his shot which won the British Waters Compact category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Autumn above and below'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Third: 'Beauty in the blow hole'
Tony Reed (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Catshark laying low'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Rockpool fluorescence'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Inquisitive nudi'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Highly Commended: 'Spurdog shark'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Fluo thornback skate'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Friends and anemones'
Tony Reed (United Kingdom)

Commended: 'Sea loch anemone'
James Lynott (United Kingdom)

Save our Seas Foundation Marine Conservation

Winner: 'Hopeless'
Alvaro Herrero (Mekan) (Spain)

Alvaro Herrero (Mekan) from Spain talks about his shot which won the 'Save Our Seas Foundation' Marine Conservation category in UPY 2023.

Runner Up: 'Million dollar fish'
David Alpert (United Kingdom)

Third: 'Unfortunate piercing'
Celia Kujala (United States)

Highly Commended: 'Supremacy'
David Serradell (Spain)

Highly Commended: 'A home divided'
Dmitry Kokh (United Arab Emirates)

Highly Commended: 'One more chance'
Damian Almua (Argentina)

Highly Commended: 'The fortunate ones'
Victor Huertas (Australia)

Commended: 'Breathe'
Edwar Herreño (France)

Commended: 'Death trap'
Simon Lorenz (Hong Kong)

Commended: 'Baby Paradorn'
Sirachai Arunrugstichai (Thailand)

UPY 2025