Stunning Images, Diverse Entries in UPY2020

Spotlight, The Photo
UPY2020 Seals
French photographer Greg Lecouer was named Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020: for “Frozen Mobile Home,” capturing crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) who have bound their fortunes to a loose iceberg drifting off the Antarctic Peninsula. © Greg Lacouer/UPY2020

THE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION is based in Great Britain but it attracts stunning entries from around the world, both in photo locations and photographers’ nationalities.

Winners and runners up for UPY2020 captured images as diverse as seals in Antarctica, shark pups in a mangrove forest in the Bahamas, a tuna caught up in a fishing net in Italy, a beauteous cave entrance in the Maldives, trapon hunting in a fishball in Grand Cayman, the “Saudi Titanic” in the Gulf of Aqaba, even a larval porcupinefish in the Philippines.

upy2020-goby
German photographer Hannes Klostermann was the winner in the Macro category with “Goby Goodness,” photographed in the Caymans. © Hannes Klostermann/UPY2020.

Drawing entries from around the world, the United- Kingdom-based group judges photos in eight categories – Wide-Angle, Macro, Portrait, Compact, Behavior, Black & White and Up and Coming – plus three British Waters categories, Wide Angle, Macro and Compact.

upy2020 nudibranchs
The judges named their first place winners. But among my favorites is this shot by American Jack Israel. It won third place in the Macro category for three nudibranchs (Favorinus branchialis) lunching out on a leather coral in Bali.

THESE ARE A SAMPLING. SEE THEM ALL

upy2020 turtle
“Turtle & Friends” by British photographer Henley Spiers was “Highly Commended” in the Behavior category. More lunching out as a cluster of fishes munch on tiny hitchiking epibionts on an olive ridley’s shell in Baja’s Cabo Pulmo National Park. © Henley Spiers/UPY2020.

You can view the all the winning images, plus a list of more than two dozen sponsors, at the Underwater Photographer of the Year website. Click on the “full results list” link to access a slide show of all winning images in one album. Or scroll down to UPY2020 Winners Gallery to access photos individually along with details about the photos and photographers.

upy2020 wreck engine room
Germany’s Tobias Friedrich won the Wreck category with “The Engine,” shot in the Chrisoula K. wreck in the Red Sea. © Tobias Friedrich/UPY2020.

PRINCIPAL SOURCE: Underwater Photographer of the Year.