2022 CONTEST SUBJECTS

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JANUARY

MASTERS

MASTERS OF CAMOUFLAGE – ANY LENS – Show your best highly camouflaged creature. Submission deadline: January 1st

CHALLENGERS

IT’S A MORAY – ANY LENS -Moray eels from around the world. Only morays, no garden, snake, or conger eels. Submission deadline: January 1st

VIDEO

NO VIDEO CONTEST

FEBRUARY

MASTERS

BOATS IN THE BACKGROUND – WIDE ANGLE – Could be a ship underwater or dive boat at the surface. The boat should not be the primary subject, but another point of interest in the image. Submission deadline: January 29th

CHALLENGERS

OCTOPUS – ANY LENS – Showcase your best Octopus photos. NO squid or cuttlefish. Submission deadline: January 29th

VIDEO

CEPHALOPODS – Put together your favorite octopus, cuttlefish and squid footage, showing unique action and color displays. 1 minute maximum. Submission deadline: January 29th

MARCH

MASTERS

SHOT BETWEEN THE RHINOPHORES – MACRO – Nudibranch photos shot head on where the rhinophores are the main subject and in sharp focus. Getting close with diopters is recommended. Submission deadline: February 26th

CHALLENGERS

FRESHWATER FINDS – ANY LENS – Any creature found and photographed in freshwater. Main subject must be a critter and not solely plants. Submission deadline: February 26th

VIDEO

NO VIDEO CONTEST

APRIL

MASTERS

BEAUTIFUL JELLIES – ANY LENS – Any jellyfish or hydromedusa. No ctenophores (comb jellies), salps or siphonophores. Submission deadline: April 2nd

CHALLENGERS

EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY – ANY LENS – Shoot a common subject in a different way. Your most unique shot of a common subject (that you would normally pass by) in a way that produces a “Wow” factor photo. Submission deadline: April 2nd

VIDEO

JELLIES BY DAY OR NIGHT – Show the beautiful movement of jellyfish. Can be shot during the day or night. Any jellyfish or hydromedusa. Can be in the water column or on the bottom like an upside-down jelly. NO ctenophores (comb jellies), salps or siphonophores. 1 minute maximum. Submission deadline: April 2nd

PRINTABLE .PDF

For a printable version of this years contest subjects, click here:

2026 CONTEST SUBJECTS

VIDEO CONTEST RULES

Click here to view or print the video contest instructions:

VIDEO CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS

PHOTO CONTEST RULES & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Photos must be taken underwater by the entrant. No aquarium or pool shots.

Each month the contest is divided into two categories – Masters and Challengers, each with different subjects to promote participation by all SFUPS members of all skill levels.

A maximum of 2 images per person may be submitted per meeting.

Read More…

NOTE:

If you are uncertain about what qualifies in a category, please consult a reputable guidebook such as Humann/DeLoach’s reef set. If still in doubt, contact Eleanor Hornberger well before the contest. She will be happy to clarify a potential submission to confirm if it fits the category.

MAY

MASTERS

BOTTOM OF THE SEA – ANY LENS – Capture details at the bottom of the sea. Use shallow water to take bright and joyful photos of starfish, pebbles and anything else that catches your eye. NO vertebrates (No fish, seahorses, sharks, rays, etc.)! Submission deadline: April 30th

CHALLENGERS

SUNBEAMS – WIDE ANGLE – Photos must have distinct sunbeams and not just a diffused ball of light. Use proper f-stop and shutter speed. Do not overly burn the bright spots in post, you can tell. Sunbeams must be produced in camera, not in post processing. Submission deadline: April 30th

VIDEO

NO VIDEO CONTEST

JUNE

MASTERS

HABITAT – A SENSE OF PLACE – ANY LENS – A photo that shows a sense of place. Show how the creature is part of the environment. Must be well composed and include a subject and surrounding habitat, not just a close-up portrait shot. No pelagic shots. Submission deadline: June 4th

CHALLENGERS

PREDATION – ANY LENS – A predator catching and/or eating its prey. Prey must be clearly visible. Influencing or creating the feeding situation such as shark feeding is not allowed. Submission deadline: June 4th

VIDEO

FAST AND FURIOUS – Use high speed to create a unique effect or mood. Videos can either be shot in high speed or sped up in post processing. 1 minute maximum. Submission deadline: June 4th

JULY

MASTERS

LEADING LINES – ANY LENS – Photos with leading lines that draw the viewer through the frame to the intended subject. Submission deadline: July 2nd

CHALLENGERS

FUN WITH FILTERS – ANY LENS – Use color filters on your strobes or lens to create an interesting effect on your subject. Fluorescent filters can be used too. Filter should be between camera and subject. Color correction not allowed in post processing. Submission deadline: July 2nd

VIDEO

DRAMATIC LIGHTING – Dramatically light your video through the use of video light angles or snoots, or natural sunbeams and dappled light from above. 1 minute maximum. Submission deadline: July 2nd

AUGUST

MASTERS

EDGE-TO-EDGE PATTERNS – ANY LENS – Patterns and textures, images that have a repeating or consistent pattern across the frame with no breaks. No negative space in the corners or elsewhere. Submission deadline: July 30th

CHALLENGERS

SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD – MACRO – Images shot with a low f-stop to creatively have just a part of the critter in focus. Submission deadline: July 30th

VIDEO

NO VIDEO CONTEST

SEPTEMBER

MASTERS

SPADES – ANY LENS – Atlantic spadefish only. Can be a wide-angle school, a small group or a macro close up of an individual spadefish (including juveniles). Submission deadline: September 3rd

CHALLENGERS

MINNOWS – WIDE ANGLE – Best photo of any small schooling fish commonly known as “minnows”. Example: minnows that school around reefs, wrecks, or large fish like goliaths and are preyed on by larger fish. Does not include schools of fish such as grunts, jacks, catfish, barracuda, etc. Submission deadline: September 3rd

VIDEO

BAIT BALLS – Video of schooling “bait” fish. Do not include larger schooling fish such as grunts, jacks, barracuda, etc. 90 seconds maximum. Submission deadline: September 3rd

OCTOBER

MASTERS

WAITING TO BE BORN – MACRO – Best photo of eggs that are close to hatching where the fish or creature is developed enough to have recognizable features inside the egg. Fish or creature must be inside the egg and not hatched. Examples: Octopus or cuttlefish eggs, damselfish eggs, jawfish eggs. Use of diopters to get in close is recommended. Submission deadline: October 1st

CHALLENGERS

SARGASSUM LIFE – ANY LENS – Photos of creatures in or around floating Sargassum. Sargassum seaweed must be in the photo. The photo must be shot from in the water, not looking down from a boat, etc. Submission deadline: October 1st

VIDEO

NO VIDEO CONTEST

NOVEMBER

MASTERS

LAND AND SEA SPLIT SHOT – WIDE ANGLE – Best over/under split shot combining an underwater scene with a scene of something on dry land, not just blue sky or clouds. Submission deadline: October 29th

CHALLENGERS

PELAGIC MAGIC – ANY LENS – Blue water or black water shot of marine life that is living in the water column (not at the surface). NO visible reef or ocean bottom in the photo. NO gelatinous zooplankton. Submission deadline: October 29th

VIDEO

GOLIATH GROUPERS – Show off your best Goliath Grouper video footage. 2 minutes maximum. Submission deadline: October 29th

PRINTABLE .PDF

For a printable version of this years contest subjects, click here:

2026 CONTEST SUBJECTS

VIDEO CONTEST RULES

Click here to view or print the video contest instructions:

VIDEO CONTEST INSTRUCTIONS

PHOTO CONTEST RULES & SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Photos must be taken underwater by the entrant. No aquarium or pool shots.

Each month the contest is divided into two categories – Masters and Challengers, each with different subjects to promote participation by all SFUPS members of all skill levels.

A maximum of 2 images per person may be submitted per meeting.

Read More…

NOTE:

If you are uncertain about what qualifies in a category, please consult a reputable guidebook such as Humann/DeLoach’s reef set. If still in doubt, contact Eleanor Hornberger well before the contest. She will be happy to clarify a potential submission to confirm if it fits the category.