Prince Albert II personally presented first-place trophies to winners on September 7th at the Monaco Underwater Photography Competition awards ceremony. The event concluded four days of competition at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.
The competition featured two man contests: the 20th National Contest and the 2nd International Challenge, alongside a Junior Contest for young photographers.
France claimed overall victory in the International Challenge, beating Monaco in second place and Italy in third. Eleven countries participated including Germany, Belgium, Spain, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, and Tunisia.
Special category prizes went to different nations. Monaco’s Bassem Jammour and Anne Rodelato won the Fish Prize, while Italy’s Guglielmo Cicerchia and Iwona Moisa claimed the Atmosphere Prize. France’s Sebastien Ameeuw and Delphine Fraysse secured the Macro Prize, with Monaco also winning the Set Theme Prize for ‘Artistic creation around the bubble.’
The competition included three dives over the weekend, featuring a night photography session, a world first for underwater photography contests.
National Contest champions
In the 20th National Contest, 13 teams competed in Monaco’s waters across two technical categories.
Philippe Lecomte and Christine Cazal won first place in the non-interchangeable lens camera category, while David Roger and Eric Dalmas topped the interchangeable lens division.
Special prizes were awarded in four themes. Véronique Wurmli-Baudot and Wendy Peyret claimed both the Atmosphere Prize and Jury’s Choice Award. Florence Roux and Béatrice Landreau won the Fish Prize, with Frédéric Bernard and Justine Brun d’Espagne taking the Set Theme Prize.
Young talent recognised
The Junior Contest ‘Underwater Eyes’ highlighted emerging photographers in two groups.
Charlene Barois dominated the Jellyfish category (ages 8-12), winning first place and the Jury’s Choice Award. Nathan Chaki came second, followed by Philippe Barois in third.
In the Seahorse category (ages 13-17), Shannon Tissot took first place, with Alexandre Charpenne second and Juliette Amsallem third.
The Monaco Underwater Exploration Club organised the event under their motto “To know better is to protect better”. The competition aims to showcase marine biodiversity while raising awareness about ocean conservation.
A seven-member jury evaluated the photographs captured during the competition, selecting winners across categories including macro photography, wide-angle shots, fish category and fish compositions.
Monaco Life was there! See more in our reel below…
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Main photo credit: Philippe Fitte, Government Communication Department