Underwater Photo Competition Guide: Top Tips from Past Winners for Image Selection

Anyone who has ventured into the world of photography competitions has faced the inevitable challenge of image selection. Constraints like time, fees, and entry limits make sifting through hundreds of gigabytes of backlog for the perfect set of images a grueling task. The blessing and curse of these competitions is that there is no magic formula and there never will be, but there are some things worth considering that can help.

When entering a competition, a good place to start is to look at past awarded images. Most contests, whether they admit it or not, have preferences. Some contests reward mass appeal and natural beauty; some are looking for unique and innovative aesthetics; and some prize images for their storytelling. Knowing what a contest is looking for is key when deciding what images to enter, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should mimic what has already been awarded. You are competing with past winners almost as much as you are competing with the other entrants. Tried-and-true subjects and compositions have to pass a much higher bar than more innovative images. On the flip side, a new and daring image is not guaranteed an award.

This is the crux of contests and perhaps the most important thing to understand about them. They are not the final arbiter of a “good” or “bad” image, because the whole undertaking of photography is subjective. Many contests get tens of thousands of entries, of which they will only award a few dozen. We all eventually look at the winners of a contest and think, “Really?! Are my shots actually worse than that?” No, they’re not, but contests can be brutal, frustrating, and demoralizing. They can also be life-changing, inspiring, and fun.

Whether I win or lose, one of my favorite parts of any contest is talking through the winning images with friends. All of this is to say that you shouldn’t let photography contests take the fun out of photography. My favorite photographers are driven by a unique aesthetic vision and a desire to keep improving. Let the judges decide if they can handle it.

When it comes to selecting images for competitions, I believe originality is everything. Many photographers look at past winning images for inspiration, but I tend to do the opposite. If the judges have already seen that type of image, why would they reward it again? I try to present something new—a frame that makes them pause, that surprises them. Whether it’s an unusual lighting technique, an unexpected composition, or a creative idea that challenges convention, the key is to stand out with authenticity rather than imitation.

I am also relentlessly self-critical. Before submitting, I review my shortlisted images with brutal honesty—not as their creator, but as a detached observer. I ask myself: does this image evoke emotion, tell a story, or simply look “pretty”? Strong competition images go beyond technical perfection; they need mood, impact, and narrative.

Finally, I think it’s vital to study the competition itself—the categories, the rules, and even the judges. Photography contests are inevitably subjective, and understanding what the judging panel values can make all the difference. Knowing your audience allows you to tailor your entry without compromising your creative voice.

Most of my awarded photos were pre-planned and started with a vision which in my estimate would constitute an original image (the archives of photo contests is a great place to invalidate originality). This vision could have been developed prior to the trip concerning a particular subject matter, or during a trip after coming across a situation that inspires an idea. Then patience and commitment is key, as there is often a learning curve to creating unique photos. It is better to dedicate more time improving its execution and allowing full fruition of the concept rather than getting distracted by other opportunities (many of my awarded images required revisiting the site after analyzing the first attempt and identifying areas of improvement). Finally, I think you have to believe in what you are trying to create and accept that even if you do not succeed, the experience will benefit your photography in the long run—and that is a worthy prize!

Basics:

Read the rules. Play within them and push them if necessary, but don’t break them. Portfolio discipline; less is more. Submit fewer but stronger images. And never submit various variants of the same image.

Key Advice:

Understand that each competition is different. Research them by looking at the past winners and current judges.

Based on that learning, find which are the best shots you have that will qualify, and even process your image accordingly.

Have fun and don’t take that seriously. Competitions are a way to force yourself to improve your process and nothing else. Meaning, we should help bring the beauty of the planet we are fortunate to see and capture to the rest of the world, and while competitions are an individual sport, conservation is not.

Take the time to mention the people that contributed to the photo (buddy, boat captain, guide …) The photos have to be unique and strong enough to survive multiple rounds of judging, being visually strong and impactful to survive a first round, but also technically good and with a strong story telling or narrative depth for the successive rounds.

Success in competitions begins the moment you see the results of the upcoming season. You need to digest those results, review them, and make a firm commitment to work hard over the next year. This ensures you have images you're truly excited to enter. Since it takes time to build up that portfolio, you must start early.

Next, let's talk about social media. People often debate whether to post your best images online. In my opinion, your absolute best work should be reserved for the competition. The photography world is small, and judges see a lot of content. Your image can only make one first impression. I prefer that impression to be on a large screen in front of the judges, not as a tiny, low-resolution Instagram viewing six months earlier.

When it comes to the actual selection of images, do this with plenty of time. A panicked, rushed selection the night before the deadline is never a good idea. Take time to enjoy the process and choose images that truly suit each competition. Digest the rules and categories, and look closely at previous years' winners. Every competition is different in what it tends to favor. While it’s unlikely similar shots will win in repeated years, similar styles often remain appealing to the same panel of judges.

Whether you like it or not, a competition often comes down to the subjective opinions of a very small group of people. Take a look at the judges of each contest and familiarize yourself with their work. Since the judging is subjective, try to submit images you think they would personally find appealing.

Finally, be brutally honest in your self-critique, and only enter images you truly love and that mean something to you. I have a personal rule of only entering photos I would be proud to win with, not just entering them because I think they might achieve something in the contest. When the final image becomes public, I want to be proud of it. A lot of poor photos do win competitions, but remember that the winning image is a reflection of you, so always enter your absolute best work.

Competitions where there is healthy discussion and judges meeting together in person to discuss images feel more valuable in the judging outcomes—like UPY (Underwater Photographer of The year), WPY (Wildlife Photographer of The Year) and Oceanographic Ocean Photographer of the Year.

Competitions take a lot of time, often more than anticipated. Many will require captions as well as title and camera specifics. If you get through to the next round a lot more information is required, often with a short time frame. If you are travelling its important to make sure you have all the information with you, and the raw file to send back to the competition.

Very important practical details, are to read the rules for each competition very carefully and follow them meticulously. Over processing, cropping, backscatter removal can have your image removed in the early stage of some competitions. Check the size, colour space and image type required, along with timescales of when the image was taken and any previous awards for that image. All theses factors are specific to each competition and differ widely.

Submit early if possible, and be very aware of the deadlines, and time zones of the competition organiser, as uploading at the last minute can face internet issues and missing entry times.

Research the competition by looking at past galleries. Many competitions have their own “feel”, and some favour more arty (GDT), conservation (Environmental and WPY), or sometimes the story of the image (WPY). Knowing the expectation helps you choose the most appropriate images.

Of course making sure the basics are all excellent helps—focus, composition, well processed.

It’s possibly a mistake to try and second guess the judges likely choices on the basis of their work, as a wide angle shooter may well love beautiful colourful macro, as something different to their own work. I think it’s also worth checking what subjects have been awarded recently, as they are unlikely to be awarded again as a main prizewinner of the same subject in a subsequent year.

It’s good to write a list of the competitions you wish to enter, with their closing dates throughout the year. With special images it’s worth saving them for your most important competitions first, as if awarded in a less important one prior to those competitions, it may jeopardise your chances of entering it or winning with them.

There are subjects that it can be said become common in competitions—sharks, whales, sealions, gannets, and dolphins, and that they are unlikely to be awarded, however my own view would be that they still seem to get awarded, so if you have a great shot give it a try.

It has also been said that if there is a particularly special moment underwater in a particular place or year, but likely to have been captured by lots of photographers, the judges can be overwhelmed by so many entries of the same thing and end up giving your image less of a chance.

Entering nature competitions or smaller competitions can provide a new platform to show photos that may not meet the cut with the big guns like UPY and WPY, and give you confidence to try more. Club competitions with different monthly competitions like BSoUP in UK are also good places to get detailed feedback on your images and a chance to see the huge variety, and get inspiration from many fellow photographers on a regular basis.

Lastly, don’t take it too seriously!