Please submit your short (10 minute max but preferably under 5 minutes) underwater film before June 15th, 2026 - at least 50% of the film must be underwater. 

The in-person festival at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall in San Diego, California is October 9 & 10, 2026, with different programs each night and the virtual film festival runs through December 15.  

For full details and to submit your film, please visit https://filmfreeway.com/SanDiegoUnderSeaFilmExhibition.

The 2026 Blue Water Film Festival (BWFF) proudly announces its honorees and official film lineup for its 7th Annual Festival, taking place March 19–22, 2026, in La Jolla, California.

Presented by the Blue Water Institute, the four-day event will showcase a dynamic slate of features, shorts, and animated films, highlighting powerful storytelling at the intersection of water, environment, innovation, and human impact. 

“Once their pups are weaned, elephant seal mothers abandon them ashore,” explained Smith. “I watched dozens clamber over one another in shallow rockpools, awkwardly learning to swim. On my very first evening, the sky ignited with colour and I captured a handful of frames before the light vanished. It was the defining moment of the long trip.”

The Ocean Art Underwater Photography Competition, widely regarded as the world’s premier underwater photography contest, has announced its winners for 2025.

With thousands of entries submitted from photographers across more than 90 countries, this year’s competition highlights extraordinary moments from beneath the surface—from rare deep-sea encounters to powerful conservation stories.

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.