The organizers of the second Underwater Tour Awards, have declared the winners of this year’s underwater image level of competition, the Guru Awards. The outcomes had been just one of the highlights of the Underwater Tour Clearly show, which was stay-streamed early this morning—or during this evening’s celebration, if you’re in Australia.

The top rated prize—the Grand Guru Prize—went to Amanda Blanksby for her fantastic mini-portfolio of visuals in each and every of the contest groups, even though the class prizes went to Luc Rooman (Underwater Characters), Wayne Osborn (Underwater Scenes), Richard Condlyffe (Aquatic Abstract), Pavlos Evangelidis (Topside Scenes), and Kristian Laine (Underwater Black and White).

Two other awards were being introduced this year: The “Eco-Hero Award” was offered to Louise Hardman, the founder of Plastic Collective, a social company whose mission is to cease plastics moving into the oceans and Natasha Waller received in the “From the Coronary heart to the Ocean” class for her breathtaking colored pencil drawing of a leafy seadragon.

DPG congratulates all the winners on their outstanding perform!

 



Press Release

Winners Declared: The Underwater Tour Awards 2021

Global Underwater Opposition

Australia: 21 May perhaps 2021: The organisers of the Underwater Tour Awards announced the winners of its next yearly, prestigious international competitiveness in the livestreamed Underwater Tour Demonstrate broadcast this evening.

The annual opposition encourages and evokes passion for photography, exploration and discovery from powering the lens and allows raise recognition of the world’s outstanding, fragile marine and aquatic inhabitants and their environments.

The Guru Awards – Photographic Competition

The only worldwide photography competitiveness of its sort to integrate a systematic Ethical Evaluation for visuals submitted, the Underwater Tour Awards Staff is fully commited to ensuring the normal planet is depicted equally creatively and honestly, with owing regard demonstrated to the welfare of all marine life and habitats. All photos entered had been topic to the competition’s Ethics Review system, executed by renowned Marine biologist and creator, Dr Richard Smith, just before shifting to the very first spherical of judging. 

Led by Convenor Darren Jew, Canon Grasp and 6-time winner of the AIPP’s Professional Mother nature Photographer of the 12 months, the global judging panel: Juergen Freund, Alex Kydd, Rachael Talibart and Y-Zin Kim reviewed numerous hundred illustrations or photos submitted by photographers from all over the environment. 

“We are delighted with the superior calibre of submissions acquired,” stated Darren Jew. “The opposition gallery takes us on a amazing underwater tour, showcasing the fantastic get the job done of competing underwater wildlife photographers and celebrating the organic miracles of the underwater globe.”

The Guru Grand Prize 

The competition’s Expert Grand Prize celebrates an underwater photographer with expertise, skill and creativity who can provide with more than one significant calibre image—an award for an outstanding photographer, not basically an great photograph. The winner is picked from a pool of the highest scoring entrants who entered a person graphic in every of the five distinct types of the Awards.

The Guru Grand Prize Winner: Amanda Blanksby, Wembley, Western Australia

Category Winners:

Underwater Characters

Winner: Luc Rooman, Kieldrecht, Belgium

Underwater Scenes

Winner: Wayne Osborn, Applecross, Western Australia

Aquatic Abstract

Winner: Richard Condlyffe, Battle Creek, Michigan, United states of america

Topside Scenes

Winner: Pavlos Evangelidis, Nea Arithrea, Greece

Underwater Black and White

Winner: Kristian Laine, Mermaid Waters, Queensland, Australia

The People’s Selection will be finalised on 23 May. All finalists’ visuals can be seen on underwatertourawards.com.au

We launched two new awards in 2021.  

The Eco-Hero Award

We invited nominations for people today going above and past to regularly share and motivate constructive ecological transform inside of their group surroundings. 

Winner: Louise Hardman, Coffs Harbour, News South Wales, Australia

From the Heart to the Ocean

This Award classification was open up to all creatives working in any medium—we named out for the community to encourage us with their do the job.

Winner: Natasha Waller, Previous Beach, Tasmania, Australia

“Congratulations to all winners and perfectly done to all entrants,” Darren Jew encouraged. 

“The Underwater Tour Awards are a natural community extension of the annual Underwater Tour nationwide speaker collection, scheduled every single May well in Australia. This calendar year we have rolled out a digital broadcast demonstrate which has enabled us to have interaction with an audience about the planet,” reported co-founder Juliette Myers. “We’d like to thank all our valued Associates. SEACAM, Paradise Taveuni, Mike Ball Dive Expeditions, Momento Professional, CameraPro, Heron Island, Christmas Island, Wakatobi, Nautilus Liveaboards, Walindi Plantation Resort, MV Febrina, MV Oceania, Girl Elliot Island, and Scubapro. Devoid of their help the Underwater Tour Show and Awards would not be attainable.”

Co-founder Tim Hochgrebe added, “Thank you to everyone who has viewed the clearly show and taken portion this 12 months. Scheduling for the Underwater Tour Awards 2022 is currently in entire swing and we are seeking forward to observing you upcoming yr.”

 

GRAND Guru AWARD WINNER AMANDA BLANKSBY’S PORTFOLIO

 

On this specific dive underneath Busselton Jetty, the Previous Wives were hanging all-around a single of the pylons. Busselton Jetty, Busselton, WA

 

Who does not enjoy a smiley fish!! These porcupine fish seem to be content material with their life swimming spherical in the ocean. Busselton Jetty, Busselton, WA

 

This is hunting into the engine space of the Lena wreck at all-around 15m deep, with a faculty of snooks swimming all-around. Bunbury, WA

 

Admirer worm swaying with the drinking water movement. Playing with a slower shutter speed and 2nd curtain flash to create a much more summary feel. BHP Steelworks Jetty, Cockburn Audio, WA

 

This is primarily based on practicing intentional movement with ND filters, whilst photographing submit dawn, on a deserted seaside. Salmon Holes Beach front, Albany, WA

 

Guru Category WINNERS

Underwater Characters

Mating toads catch by a sunbeam. De Melle Turnhout Belgium

 

Topside Scenes

Catch of the Working day. Standard stilt fishermen test their luck at sunset in Koggala, Sri Lanka. This is a single take at 10s shutter velocity with an ND filter for that dreamy drinking water texture. Koggala, Sri Lanka

 

Aquatic Summary

I lit this open Giant Basket Star at night making use of directional pink light to merge shade with its beautifully formed and textured branches. Exumas, Bahama

 

Underwater Black and White

Black & White Ghosts: These spins and sluggish shutter velocity shots are so a great deal enjoyable to do and I like the inventive and inventive vibes they give. Lady Elliot Island, QLD, Australia

 

Underwater Scenes

The nutritious, lush and biodiverse maritime micro-atmosphere of a tropical coral reef outcrop. Wakatobi Reefs, Sulawesi, Indonesia

 

FROM THE Heart TO THE OCEAN Classification WINNER

Leafy Seadragon. Colored pencil on black cotton rag in a blackwood frame

By Harmony