2nd Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival
The recently concluded 2nd Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival is a huge success and I’m so proud of it. Virtually an unknown event last year, it has grown quite significantly and have attracted over 100 enthusiastic participants from 16 different countries. This year’s event run from November 27 to 30, 2014 at the super attractive Aiyanar Beach and Dive Resort.
The Anilao Underwater Photo Competition Festival is a project of Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT) – Dive Market department, which aims to showcase Philippines as premiere destination for macro photography through this 3-day underwater shootout. Apart from the competition, the 3 evenings were filled with talks from some of the most well known underwater photographers today who also served as the panel of judges for the underwater photo competition.
The Competition
The competition comprised of 2 classes: OPEN and COMPACT with 4 categories; Macro/Super macro, Marine Behaviour, Nudibranch Portrait, and Crustacean Portrait. Each participant can submit up to 4 photos, one in each category. Participants who submitted entries to all categories is automatically eligible to win the portfolio as The DOT Photographer of the Year (Open and Compact).
Open Class is open to all participants using any kind of camera. Published and professional photographers are automatically placed in this class.
Compact Class is exclusive for participants using compact cameras without interchangeable lenses. DSLR, Mirrorless and Micro 4/3 cameras are automatically placed in the open class.
Macro/Super Macro is any close up photo of any underwater subject using macro lenses and/or close up lenses.
Marine Behaviour is photograph shot to display specific behaviour of marine life underwater.
Nudibranch Portrait is profile photos of any specie of nudibranchs, sea slugs. Flat worms are not included.
Crustacean Portrait is profile photos of any specie of crustacea, such as crab, shrimp, lobster, barnacles.
Portfolio (DOT photographer of the year) The winner will be judged based on the four photos together.
The Judges
5 of the underwater world’s top photographers made up our panel of judges.
Scott “Gutsy” Tuason is Philippine’s own rockstar photo journalist who’s well known for his “gutsy” underwater shots. He’s also an award winning photographer, notably the Palme D’or at Antibes festival in France for the book Anilao. He has since published several books with the latest one called Notes from the Sea. If he’s not underwater, you can usually find him at his toy store, Squires Bingham Sports in Bonifacio Global City.
Mike Bartick is an award winning Marine Wildlife Photographer, field editor and photo pro currently based in the Philippines. Mike is widely published with work appearing monthly in international magazines, websites and internet publications. He also hosts photo clinics and seminars concentrating on the different aspects of Underwater Photography and the natural history of the Indo-Pacific. Mike is the resident guru in one of Anilao’s photographer friendly resort, Crystal Blue Resort Anilao.
Mimmo Roscigno is from Italy where he teaches photography in the local Art School, Giorgio de Chirico, for about 25 years. He later was able to combined photography with his love for underwater. In 2011, with encouragement from his friends, he joined underwater photography competition and within 3 years have garnered over forty (40) awards in various prestigious local and international competition. He currently lives in Torre Annunziata, near Naples and is also conduction workshops for underwater photography.
Yorko Summer is a Taiwanese underwater photographer and travel journalist. His work is widely published both in the internet and dive magazines. He’s been documenting the underwater world with his camera but recently launched a business organising dive trips and giving workshops. He’s a celebrity with huge following in the Chinese speaking countries. He is based in Taiwan and Shanghai but you can stalk him at Yorko Summer – Keep Diving, Keep Breathing.
Ken Thongpila is Australian-Thai living and working in Sydney. He is an award-winning photographer regularly featured in diving magazines and websites. Ken’s passion for macro photography led him to create the Facebook group Underwater Macro Photographers (UWMP), which is now the most popular online underwater photography community with over 34,000 members and growing.
The Prizes
The prizes comprise of the much coveted Nauticam housings, flare video lights, i-Das arms, Mekong housing for Olympus camera, and from this year’s major sponsor Mares: BCs, regulator, and dive computer. There were also resort stays and dive packages including a Tubbataha trip with Discovery Fleet. Click to see complete list of prizes.
Event Poster with Sponsors
