With more than 5,000 submissions from photographers around the world, the winners of the British 2018 Underwater Photographer of the Year Contest have just been announced. Chosen from 11 different categories, including Wide Angle, Macro, Wrecks, Behavior, Portrait, Black & White and British Waters, The top prize went to German photographer Tobias Friedrich’s CYCLE-WAR which reveals British World War II military vehicles, deep inside a shipwreck that was lost in the Red Sea, by Egypt. The title of British Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018 was awarded to Scottish photographer Grant Thomas, whose photo Love Birds features a pair of swans in Loch Lomond, Scotland. Malaysian photographer Man BD was awarded a prize for Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2018 for his shows a pair of sea slugs that are about to be eaten by a terrifying moray eel.
In collaboration with Underwater Photography Magazine the UPY team have produced a Yearbook, bringing together 2018âs winning images, their back-stories, and judgesâ comments. So if you want to learn more about the competition and photos, you can download the pdf version book from the official site.
âROARâ WINNER of category: âUp & Coming.â Photo: Âİ ManBd UiDive/UPY 2018
âLove Birdsâ WINNER of category: âBritish Waters Wide Angle.â Photo: Âİ Grant Thomas/UPY 2018
âHumpback whale spy hoppingâ WINNER of category: âWide Angle.â Photo: Âİ Greg Lecoeur/UPY 2018.
âSeahorse Densityâ WINNER of category: âMacro.â Photo: Âİ Shane Gross/UPY 2018
âA sand tiger shark surrounded by tiny bait fishâ WINNER of category: âPortrait.â Photo: Âİ Tanya Houppermans/UPY 2018.
âBattle of the Tompotsâ WINNER of category: âBritish Waters Macro.â Photo: Âİ Henley Spiers/UPY 2018.
âthe fishermanâ WINNER of category: âBehaviour.â Photo: Âİ Filippo Borghi/UPY 2018.
âCrocodile reflectionsâ WINNER of category: âBlack & White.â Photo: Âİ Borut Furlan/UPY 2018
“Flower power” Runner Up of category: “Compact”. Photo: Âİ Jack Berthomier/UPY 2018
âFriend or Food?!â RUNNER UP from category: Macro. Photo: Âİ Songda Cai/UPY 2018.
âCYCLE-WARâ WINNER of category: âWrecks.â Photo: Âİ Tobias Friedrich/UPY 2018