JANUARY MASTERS
SEA SNAKES – ANY LENS – From anywhere in the world.
JANUARY CHALLENGERS
IN THE SAND – ANY LENS – Any critter that lives or sits on sand or rubble.
FEBRUARY MASTERS
AMBIENT LIGHT – WIDE ANGLE – No strobes on this one.
FEBRUARY CHALLENGERS
FISH KISSING – ANY LENS – Fish must be lip to lip.
MARCH MASTERS
FISH PATTERNS – ANY LENS – Show off the beautiful color patterns that fish have.
MARCH CHALLENGERS
MANATEE BEHAVIOR – WIDE ANGLE – Manatee must be doing a behavior i.e. feeding, sleeping, nursing, chewing on a rope.
APRIL MASTERS
OCEAN IN MOTION – WIDE ANGLE – Be creative (in camera only, not in post processing). Example image could show current, split shots with waves, fish swimming in the same direction, etc.
APRIL CHALLENGERS
CRAB BEHAVIOR – ANY LENS – Mating, molting, eggs, swimming (hermit crabs included).
MAY MASTERS
UNDERWATER FLORAL – ANY LENS – Image must have a flower-like shape. i.e. hard corals, soft corals, feather worms, freshwater flowers.
MAY CHALLENGERS
PHOTOBOMB – ANY LENS – A composition where another critter swims or crawls into the picture and it works.
JUNE MASTERS
CAMOUFLAGE – ANY LENS – Any animal that clearly blends into the background or what it is sitting on.
JUNE CHALLENGERS
BLACK & WHITE – ANY LENS – Can give certain scenes or animals a striking, timeless quality when done well. Focus on light and shadows and texture and shape.
JULY MASTERS
STARS & STRIPES – ANY LENS – Either the shape of stars or stripes in the photo, can be a photo of animals with a stripe pattern or even a starfish.
JULY CHALLENGERS
CLEANING STATIONS – ANY LENS – Any animal pairing where it is apparent that cleaning is occurring (no parasites or hitch-hikers).
AUGUST MASTERS
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION – ANY LENS – Photo has to have more than 6 subjects in the frame of the same species (i.e swimming animals like fish or dolphins).
AUGUST CHALLENGERS
DIVERS & WRECKS – WIDE ANGLE – Must have both diver(s) and a wreck in the frame.
SEPTEMBER MASTERS
MARINE OR FRESHWATER MAMMALS – ANY LENS – Including otters, dolphins, whales, etc. (no manatees)
SEPTEMBER CHALLENGERS
TURTLES – ANY LENS – Can be freshwater turtles or sea turtles.
OCTOBER MASTERS
BLACK WATER – MACRO – Any creature photographed at night in open water. (i.e. Black Water) Must have a black background and no visible reef or ocean floor.
OCTOBER CHALLENGERS
SCARY EYES – MACRO – Two eyes or one eye close ups that have a scary or creepy look to them.
NOVEMBER MASTERS
CEPHALOPODS – ANY LENS – Squid, Octopus, Cuttlefish.
NOVEMBER CHALLENGERS
BOAT OR DIVE FLAG OVER/UNDER – WIDE ANGLE – Image must show either a boat or dive flag or both in the frame. This is an over/under category. Part of the photo must be out of the water and part underwater.