How does winning feel?
What is it like to be a winner in the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition? If you've been a winner with UPY we'd love to hear from you - tell us about what its like to be a winner!
Kat Zhou
- 2023 Underwater Photographer of the Year
I just got back from an amazing diving trip to Triton Bay, and I can't thank Triton Bay Divers enough for sponsoring this prize trip from UPY 2023. I was blown away by the beauty of the reefs and the variety of photographic opportunities, and I highly recommend adding Triton Bay to every photographer's must-visit list. From diving with whale sharks and dolphins to vibrant reefs teeming with fish, an endemic species of walking shark, captivating macro critter life, and the spectacle of multiple flasher wrasse species at the famous "Flasher Beach" site, divers and photographers alike will never get bored. Special thanks to Leeza and the entire Triton Bay Divers team for supporting UPY!
Kirsty Andrews
- 2017 British Waters Macro, Winner (prize taken in 2023)
The team at Agulhas House were kind enough to welcome me even though the small matter of a global pandemic and a fair bit of time had passed since I initially won my prize. It was a tough choice trying to decide what time of year to visit as Aliwal Shoal offers a variety of enticing attractions depending on the season. In the end I arrived in June, hoping for large aggregations of ragged tooth sharks. They come to Aliwal to mate and are quite docile during the day, allowing passing photographers to get close.
The ragged tooths did not disappoint but in the end the real highlight of my trip was undoubtedly a fleeting but memorable visit from a 5m long female great white shark. No bait or cage, just the curiosity of a wild and truly awe-inspiring animal. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to photograph such a scene. Thank you to Agulhas House and the team at Underwater Photographer of the Year for granting me my prize and a memory I will cherish forever.
Renee Capozzola
- Underwater Photographer of the Year 2021
"Being named the overall winner in the 2021 Underwater Photographer of the Year competition has been a tremendous experience and the absolute highlight of my career! When I received the congratulatory email from Alex, I was completely astonished and could not believe the news. I had to keep my award a secret until the official announcement in February, and as soon as the results were posted, the news coverage was beyond what I could have ever imagined. I was featured by numerous media outlets such as CNN, BBC, USA Today, People, and The Guardian, and I was interviewed on television by the Today Show and KTLA News, among others.
Having my work recognized at this elite level is extremely rewarding. I believe that UPY is the most prestigious underwater photography competition in the world, each year receiving thousands of entries, which are then reviewed by highly respected judges. It is also the only underwater photo contest that I know of which gives valuable feedback to every entrant, sharing how far each picture advanced through the rounds.
It is a real honor to be the first woman to have won the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition. During my development as a professional photographer, I had many female role models in the business to look up to so I hope that my success will inspire other women to pursue their goals. It is also very special to me that my winning image was that of a shark, as the extensive media coverage that UPY receives has helped raise awareness for the additional protections these beautiful animals need throughout the world.
I can’t thank the judges and organizers of UPY enough for supporting this contest and giving photographers an opportunity to showcase their work. I look forward to seeing all the award winners in the years to come!"
Nur Tucker
- 2020 Most Promising British Underwater Photographer of the Year
"I entered this competition twice before and twice I was made a finalist, but 2020 proved to be a very lucky year- not only I was selected as the runner up in “Up and Coming” Category but my image also won one of the top awards. Hearing the results were followed by a whirlwind of media articles, TV interviews and podcasts. My photo was published on every media outlet from BBC, to the Guardian and to the Telegraph and New York Times. I received so many congratulatory notes from all over the world. I felt extremely proud. To me this is the most prestigious underwater competition in the world and the winners are selected among 5-6,000 photos by highly respected judges. I really like this competition as the selection process, rules and the judges are very transparent. UPY Judges go out of their way to help every entrant by webinars and information on social media. No other competition does that."
Shane Gross
- 2018 Macro category 'Winner' and Behaviour 'Highly Commended'
"Congratulations to Shane Gross, the winner of Photographer of the year macro division 2018. Shane's eye and lighting skills came together for his stunning backlit image of seahorse shot to represent density at one of his favorite dive sites.
Shane won a dive package for a week at CBR and of course the honor and high esteem of winning in such a competitive category and prestigious competition.
Well done Shane! And congrats from everyone at Crystal Blue Resort."
Davide Lopresti
- Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016
Being named Underwater Photographer of the Year is a fantastic experience! Not just for the Title, which remains very special, but it also opens up a network of contacts and is an opportunity to increase one's profile in the media. All the biggest newspapers contact you; National Geographic, the Guardian, Focus and Ansa. But it’s not just the printed press who are interested; I have been featured in most important national radio shows too.
Winning the Underwater Photographer of the Year creates a real possibility to step up one's career in underwater photography. It is an opportunity to be grabbed with both hands!
