The Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition remains the world’s most prestigious and respected underwater photography contest, offering over $60,000 in prizes. The competition attracts amateur to professional photographers across the globe. 

Fourteen categories ensure all photo disciplines and cameras compete fairly, while the 50+ winning images create a portfolio of the best underwater photos of the year.

Ocean Art prizes are provided by some of the world’s top scuba diving resorts, liveaboard dive yachts, and underwater photo gear manufacturers. 

Grand prizes include a wide range of strobes, lights, and accessories from Marelux; a 7-night liveaboard dive trip for two in Papua New Guinea with Walindi Plantation Resort; an 8-day, 12-dive adventure for two in Raja Ampat with Meridian Adventure; a 10-day dive trip with Mermaid Liveaboards in Raja Ampat or Komodo; an 8-night dive trip in Indonesia aboard the Coralia Liveaboard; an 8-night dive trip to Ambon, Indonesia with Spice Island Divers; an Indonesian dive cruise for one plus 50% off a companion aboard the SMY Ondina; an Ikelite DS232 Strobe with modeling light; and a variety of gift certificates from Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel. 

Premium travel prizes are provided by El Galleon/Asia Divers (Philippines), Atmosphere Resorts & Spa (Dumaguete, Philippines), Mexico Liveaboards (Sea of Cortez and Socorro, Mexico), Avalon Outdoor Cuban Diving (Cuba), Sea Saba (Saba, Caribbean), and Ultralight Camera Solutions.

Ocean Art 2025 consists of 14 categories, with the top categories including Wide Angle, Macro, and Marine Life Behavior, as well as three corresponding compact camera categories—giving underwater photographers of all levels a chance to win great prizes. 

Unique categories include Black & White, Marine Life Portrait, Cold/Temperate Water, Blackwater, Underwater Conservation, and Nudibranchs. The Underwater Fashion and Underwater Digital Art categories provide two distinct artistic styles their own space—with complete freedom in post-processing. This year, smartphones and action cameras are included in the compact camera categories!

Winners from each category will be able to rank their preferred prizes, increasing the likelihood that each winner will receive a prize they truly desire.

This year’s judging panel features the return of renowned underwater photographers Tony Wu, Marty Snyderman, Mark Strickland, and Ipah Uid Lynn. Together, they bring decades of expertise and diverse artistic perspectives to the competition. 

Marty Snyderman is an Emmy Award–winning cinematographer whose work has appeared in National Geographic and other leading publications. Tony Wu is an acclaimed photographer and author of Silent Symphony. 

Mark Strickland is a published author, award-winning underwater photographer, and photo specialist at Bluewater Photo. Ipah Uid Lynn, an internationally recognized Malaysian photographer, is known for her creative and artistic underwater imagery that bridges fine art and marine life. 

The Ocean Art competition is organized by Nirupam Nigam of Bluewater Photo, Bluewater Travel, and the Underwater Photography Guide.

Photos must be submitted before the deadline of 23:59 PST on December 11, 2025.

We look forward to your participation. Information can be found on our Ocean Art Photo Competition page at uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art.