UPY 2025

UPY  Portrait - Highly Commended
'Bony-eared assfish'
Steven Kovacs

The extremely rare and oddly named Bony-eared Assfish, Acanthonus armatus, is one of the most highly desired blackwater subjects to find and photograph. The young are stunning in appearance with their extremley long streamers that gracefully undulate as they swim through the water. While the larvae can be found coming up to shallower depths at night, the adults are reported to be a bathypelagic species meaning they live at depths between 1000m and 4000m. I feel very fortunate to come across this one off Palm Beach, Florida one night during a blackwater dive for only my 2nd time in 10 years of extensive blackwater diving.

Judge's comment: We did get a lot of very nice blackwater shots and portraits in this year's competition, which over the years tend to lose a little bit of excitement as there has been so many great shots already. But his portrait is just absolutely stunning and very well executed straight on to the camera so it truly deserves to be placed in UPY. Very well done!
Tobias Friedrich