MEDAL WINNERS
www.underwaterphotography.com/photo-contest/Winners.aspx

CHAMPIONS
www.underwaterphotography.com/photo-contest/Awards.aspx

ABOUT THE CONTEST
The UnderwaterPhotography.com photo contest is the longest running and most prestigious contest online, or off. If you want to make a name for yourself it is THE place to do it.

One of the medals awarded is the reward for all the hard work underwater photographers put in chasing those great shots in far-flung destinations. It's the industry's most coveted prize because it says the winner succeeded in the most competitive environment there is, against the top talent of the moment.

2008/9 AWARDS
There were 12,591 entries from 134 countries this year.

848 entries were shortlisted to the first round of judging (click here to see the shortlist).

164 entries went to the final round. 25 of those were disqualified for not uploading hi-res before the deadline.

2008/9 WORLD CHAMPION - MICHEL LONFAT
Michel only joined the contest at the end of March 2008 but managed 179 entries to the photo contest in that time!

The quantity is never as important as the quality, which has been of the highest standard in Michel's case. It is the mark of a great photographer that they don't just enter strong images--they never enter weak ones. In this respect his consistency alone made him stand out head and shoulders above the crowd.

One judge said _"This year world champ has to be Michel Lonfat. His entries are to a high standard, the split level's are superb. I know he has only been in the comp for a short while but he seems always to come up with the goods."
_
The range of Michel's work is impressive, both cold and warm water, and all categories. Much of Michel's diving is done in his native Switzerland in the gin-clear, but cold, Verzasca River near Tessin. His warm water material is every bit as noteworthy. He has dived the Caribbean, Celebes sea, the Indian Ocean, Mediterranean, and Red Sea. He has entered something in ALL categories with numerous 'hotshot' placings in the monthly contests.

GRAND MASTER - GEOFF SPIBY
Geoff Spiby joined the contest in June 2007 and made an immediate impact with his atmospheric Kelp forest shots from his native South African coast.

With an extremely high average vote in each of the categories he is a definite all-rounder. This is reflected by the number of hotshots he has, along with a Gold Medal for his shot of a Great White Shark in 2007.

As well as the Atlantic, Geoff has dived in the Celebes Sea, Halmahera Sea, Indian Ocean, Molucca Sea, Red Sea, South China Sea, Sulu and Sulawesi Seas.

**TOPSIDE (ABOVE WATER BUT MARINE RELATED) :: MEDAL WINNERS
** shots above the surface. Can be on land but with relevance to the marine environment
Andrew Macleod (Australia) Gold Medal :: Cal Mero (Australia) Silver Medal :: Jozef Butala (Slovakia (Slovak Republic)) Bronze Medal :: Allan Vandeford (United States) Runner Up :: John Naylor (United Kingdom) Runner Up :: Erika Antoniazzo (Switzerland) Runner Up ::

**OVER/UNDER (SHOTS HALF TOPSIDE, HALF U/W) :: MEDAL WINNERS
** shots that cross the surface boundary (so under/overs like Snells Window too)
Andrew Mckaskle (United States) Gold Medal :: Giuseppe Piccioli (Italy) Silver Medal :: David Stephens (United Kingdom) Bronze Medal :: Michel Lonfat (Switzerland) Runner Up :: Michael Grebler (Canada) Runner Up :: Geoff Spiby (South Africa) Runner Up ::

**MACRO - NOT SWIMMING :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Smaller subjects typically 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5cm) shot on macro settings or with macro equipment that are NOT MOVING usually on the bottom (i.e. between 1:1 and 1:3)
Aleksandr Marinicev (Latvia) Gold Medal :: Miguel Cortes (Spain) Silver Medal :: Henry Jager (Switzerland) Bronze Medal :: Dave Hunt (United States) Runner Up :: Brian Mayes (United Kingdom) Runner Up :: Jeff Chua De Guzman (Philippines) Runner Up ::

**MACRO - SWIMMING :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Smaller subjects typically 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5cm) shot on macro settings or with macro equipment that are in MID WATER not touching anything (i.e. between 1:1 and 1:3)
Michel Lonfat (Switzerland) Gold Medal :: Tunc Yavuzdogan (Turkey) Silver Medal :: Jim Chambers (United States) Bronze Medal :: Giuseppe Piccioli (Italy) Runner Up :: Miguel Cortes (Spain) Runner Up :: Cal Mero (Australia) Runner Up ::

**WIDE ANGLE - WRECKS :: MEDAL WINNERS
** anything man-made that is sunk including cars, tanks, planes etc. - oh and ships!
Jim Garland (Ireland) Gold Medal :: Tom Wilson (Canada) Silver Medal :: Gareth Millson (United Kingdom) Bronze Medal :: Arthur Telle Thiemann (Spain) Runner Up :: Miguel Cortes (Spain) Runner Up :: Simon Theuma (Malta) Runner Up ::

**WIDE ANGLE - NATURAL LIGHT (NO STROBE) :: MEDAL WINNERS
** shots taken using ambient light i.e. unlit by flash or continuous lighting like HID but filters on the lens are allowed if declared
Marco Waagmeester (Netherlands) Gold Medal :: Dray Van Beeck (Netherlands) Silver Medal :: Maria Munn (United Kingdom) Bronze Medal :: Jovin Lim (Singapore) Runner Up :: Cipriano (ripli) Gonzalez (Spain) Runner Up :: Victor Amor (Spain) Runner Up ::

**CREATIVE - MANIPULATED (PHOTOSHOPPED) :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Shots that have been digitally edited outside of the camera for creative reasons (not brightness/contrast etc.) in a program like PhotoShop
Zena Holloway (United Kingdom) Gold Medal :: Heru Suryoko (Indonesia) Silver Medal :: Bea & Stef Primatesta (Switzerland) Bronze Medal :: Margo Cavis (United States) Runner Up :: Heru Suryoko (Indonesia) Runner Up :: Libor Spacek (Czech Republic) Runner Up ::

**WIDE ANGLE - DIVERS :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Divers doing what divers do - underwater or on the surface
Sergio Loppel (Italy) Gold Medal :: Amanda Cotton (United States) Silver Medal :: Barbara Schilling (Switzerland) Bronze Medal :: Vito Lorusso (Italy) Runner Up :: Sergiy Glushchenko (Ukraine) Runner Up :: Dray Van Beeck (Netherlands) Runner Up :: Christian Skauge (Norway) Runner Up ::

**WIDE ANGLE - MARINE LIFE :: MEDAL WINNERS
** wide angle shots with no divers in frame
Christian Loader (United Kingdom) Gold Medal :: Ross Gudgeon (Australia) Silver Medal :: Mike Ellis (United States) Bronze Medal :: Puddu Massimo (Italy) Runner Up :: Kjeld Friis (Denmark) Runner Up :: Henrik Gram Rasmussen (Denmark) Runner Up ::

**FRESHWATER :: MEDAL WINNERS
** shots taken bodies of water with no salt e.g. in lakes, streams, pools, rivers i.e NOT the Sea!
Dejan Sarman (Slovenia) Gold Medal :: Richard Harris (Australia) Silver Medal :: Melita Bubek (Slovenia) Bronze Medal :: Michael Grebler (Canada) Runner Up :: Dejan Sarman (Slovenia) Runner Up :: John De Jong (Netherlands) Runner Up ::

**TEMPERATE WATERS :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Seas with green water well north or south of tropical zones typically cold enough for drysuits!
Geoff Spiby (South Africa) Gold Medal :: Doug Anderson (Australia) Silver Medal :: Brian Mayes (United Kingdom) Bronze Medal ::

**MACRO - NUDIBRANCHIA :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Sea slugs. A subject popular with macro guys! (means naked gills) Flatworms allowed
Marco Waagmeester (Netherlands) Gold Medal :: Volker Katzung (East Timor) Silver Medal :: Patrick Neumann (Germany) Bronze Medal :: Harry Yang (Taiwan) Runner Up :: Doug Anderson (Australia) Runner Up :: Edvin Eng (Malaysia) Runner Up ::

**MACRO - SUPER MACRO :: MEDAL WINNERS
** Shots taken (at smaller than 1:1) with multiple extension rings, diopters, or teleconverters of extremely small subjects typically less than 1 inch (2.5 cm)
Yves Antoniazzo (Switzerland) Gold Medal :: Jeff Chua De Guzman (Philippines) Silver Medal :: Beverly Speed (United States) Bronze Medal :: Fabrizio Frixa (Italy) Runner Up :: Yves Antoniazzo (Switzerland) Runner Up :: Teguh Tirtaputra (Indonesia) Runner Up ::

**WIDE ANGLE - CLOSE FOCUS :: MEDAL WINNERS
** shots taken with a WIDE ANGLE (or fisheye) lens having 1) a well defined close subject (usually strobe-lit) AND 2) a wide angle BACKGROUND with a second subject, usually a diver
Marchione Giacomo (Italy) Gold Medal :: Andrey Tazba (Russia) Silver Medal :: Puddu Massimo (Italy) Bronze Medal ::

**MEDAL WINNERS
** www.underwaterphotography.com/photo-contest/Winners.aspx