The Monaco Underwater Exploration Club (CESMM) will stage the 21st edition of its National Underwater Photography Competition on Saturday 5th September, sending photographers into the waters off the Principality for two dives across four categories in a one-day contest that pairs the search for a standout image with a wider message about protecting the Mediterranean’s fragile marine life. Held under the honorary presidency of Prince Albert II, the event runs alongside the 13th edition of the junior competition, ‘Regards sous la mer’.
The competition opens with the traditional briefing before participants head out for two dives at two sites in the heart of the Principality. Working with natural light, water movement and the marine life they encounter, photographers must come back with the images that will carry them before the judging panel.
Four categories will shape this year’s contest: macro, fish, wide-angle and a compulsory theme of ‘Shellfish & Crustaceans’. After the two dives, each competitor selects one photograph per category, submitting four images in total to the jury. A further distinction is drawn by equipment, with separate categories for interchangeable-lens and fixed-lens cameras, so that photographers are judged against others using comparable gear.
“This event is important because, through the competitions we organise, it helps make the invisible visible. Most people only see the surface of the water; they are unaware of the beauty of our seabed and how fragile it is,” said Roger Mullot, President of CESMM.
A summer to prepare for the juniors
Alongside the national event, CESMM is holding the 13th edition of ‘Regards sous la mer’, its junior competition, which follows a different format. Rather than a single competition day, young participants are given two months over the summer to take their photographs in Monaco’s waters, diving as often as they wish in search of the image that best reflects their view of the marine environment. Each entrant submits a series of three photographs, with no set theme, and the club ran two supervised sessions over the summer for those taking part.
“We are deeply committed to keeping the Junior Competition alive, which is open to children aged 8 to 18. With the growing accessibility of digital underwater cameras, these young people are becoming true enthusiasts, capable of capturing and sharing exceptional moments,” said Mullot.
The club also backs the Munegu Photo-Sub Academy, which introduces children to underwater photography. “Looking ahead is essential. That is why the Club supports the Munegu Photo-Sub Academy, which offers children introductory courses in underwater photography. They discover the art of photography in a particularly demanding environment and learn from an early age to observe and understand the ecosystem around them,” Mullot said.
Warming seas raise the stakes
For CESMM, the contest is as much about awareness as competition, in a Principality that has made ocean protection a long-standing priority. Mullot links the event directly to the pressures now facing the Mediterranean.
“This summer, the Mediterranean reached exceptionally high temperatures. These marine heatwaves are having consequences for biodiversity: just a few meters below the surface, ecosystems are being profoundly disrupted. Faced with these changes, photography plays an essential role. It can generate far more emotion than a simple speech. An image can raise awareness of the consequences of human activities on the marine environment and of the need to protect this exceptional underwater heritage,” he said.
Between them, the two competitions frame photography as a discipline that is at once sporting, artistic, educational and environmental, turning Monaco into a showcase for its underwater world for a single day.
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Photo credit: Pascal Parry