Past award winners
List of Awarded photographers, from 1965
Historically the UK has been home to some of the world’s most prestigious underwater photography competitions. Bernard Eaton kicked it off when he organised the first Brighton Underwater Film Festival in 1965 (and it was a competition that led to the foundation of the British Society of Underwater Photographers in 1967).
UPY is continuing that tradition, and on this page you can see all the names of the Awarded photographers over the years.
Key:
UPY: Underwater Photographer of the Year
BUPY: British Underwater Photographer of the Year
U&C: Up and Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year
MPBUPY: Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year
UPY AWARDS
2023
UPY: Kat Zhou (USA)
BUPY: Ollie Clarke (Australia)
U&C: Kat Zhou (USA)
MPBUPY: Theo Vickers (UK)
2022
UPY: Rafael Fernandez Caballero (Spain)
BUPY: Matty Smith (UK)
U&C: Quico Abadal (Spain)
MPBUPY: Paul Pettitt (UK)
2021
UPY: Renee Capozzola (USA)
BUPY: Mark Kirkland (UK)
U&C: Alice Bennett (UK)
MPBUPY: Alice Bennett (UK)
2020
UPY: Greg Lecoeur (France)
BUPY: Nick More (UK)
U&C: Anita Kainrath (Austria)
MPBUPY: Nur Tucker (UK)
2019
UPY: Richard Barnden (UK)
BUPY: Richard Barnden (UK)
U&C: Taeyup Kim (Korea)
MPBUPY: Malcolm Nimmo (UK)
2018
UPY: Tobias Friedrich (Germany)
BUPY: Grant Thomas (UK)
U&C: Man BD (Malaysia)
MPBUPY: Tony Stephenson (UK)
2017
UPY: Gabriel Barathieu (France)
BUPY: Nick Blake (UK)
U&C: Horacio Martinez (Argentina)
MPBUPY: Nicholai Georgiou (UK)
2016
UPY: Davide Lopresti (Italy)
BUPY: Dan Bolt (UK)
U&C: Pier Mane (South Africa)
MPBUPY: Marty Engels Dunmore (UK)
2015
UPY: Nuno Sa (Portugal)
BUPY: Matt Doggett (UK)
MPBUPY: Mario Vitalini (UK)
Historical UPY, which was not annual.
2003
UPY: Andy Heath (UK)
BUPY: Andy Heath (UK)
MPBUPY: Andy Heath (UK)
2001
UPY: Werner Thiele (Germany)
BUPY: Pete Atkinson (UK)
MPBUPY: Mark Walker (UK)
1999:
UPY: Franco Banfi (Switzerland)
BUPY: Pete Atkinson (UK)
MPBUPY: Jeff Collett (UK)
1987:
UPY: Kurt Amsler (Switzerland)
MPBUPY: Benny Sutton (UK)
1983
BUPY: Peter Rowlands (UK)
MPBUPY: Alan Youngs
1979
BUPY: Warren Williams (UK)
MPBUPY: Geoff Tompkinson (UK)
1976
BUPY: Peter Scoones (UK)
MPBUPY: Mike Portelly (UK)
1970
BUPY: Peter Scoones (UK)
1968:
BUPY Colin Doeg (UK)
1966:
UPY Geoff Harwood (UK)
1965:
UPY Phil Smith (UK)
