CALL FOR ENTRIES:
The contests below are now open for submissions. Each member can enter two images AND two videos.
When voting starts, the entry period will be over and no further images can be submitted.
Check back after the voting starts so you can vote for your favorite. You will have one week to review the images and submit your two votes.
Winners will be announced at the next SFUPS meeting.
REMEMBER:
- Only TWO (2) photo entries per person per month – either one in each category or two in the same category. You can also enter two videos.
- RESIZE your images (1400 pixels on the long side)
- DO NOT include your name in the image title (Ex: What’s That Thing!) or anywhere it might be visible in your video (see instructions below). Do not include a watermark.
- RENAME your image file using your photo title, month and category. Do not use spaces or special characters.
DO NOT include your name. (Ex: WhatsThatThing-JuneMastr) - Photos and videos are to be submitted within the context of the monthly contest subject descriptions. The board may reject any submitted image that does not fit the monthly subject description. Entries submitted at least 24 hours before the submission deadline will be allowed to submit an alternate entry if the board determines it does not meet the criteria.
- PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR YOUR OWN ENTRY! Votes for yourself will be deleted.
- Please do not submit an entry that has placed in a previous contest; it will be disqualified. You may submit an image or video you have submitted before if it has never won.
GUEST JUDGE FOR NOVEMBER - MARTIN BROEN
We are so fortunate that for our final contest of the year, acclaimed photographer Martin Broen has agreed to be our guest judge. Martin is an award-winning photographer, accomplished technical diver, and underwater cave explorer. He merges his design sensibility with his passion for the natural world to craft compelling and immersive visual stories that reveal the exquisite beauty of our planet—and inspire action to protect it.
Originally from Argentina and currently based in New York, Martin works at the intersection of innovation, sustainability, and storytelling. With a prolific career that spans the development of hundreds of breakthrough products—including X-ray diffractometers, dialysis systems, wind turbines, computers, reusable packaging, and even the classic Scotch tape dispenser—he holds over 130 innovation patents across multiple industries. His deep expertise in Systems Thinking enables him to identify patterns, interconnections, and leverage points across complex challenges, empowering him to design and develop custom tools for extreme underwater expeditions and gain access to hidden, otherworldly environments beneath the Earth’s surface.
His underwater imagery has been published globally by media agencies such as Caters and Solent, featured in major newspapers, and licensed for productions like Blue Whales: Return of the Giants. His photographs have appeared on the covers of leading diving magazines such as TAUCHEN and DUIKEN, and have been highlighted in Underwater Photography Magazine, Dive Photo Guide, and Dive Magazine. He is also an active contributor to conservation initiatives like Vital Impacts.
Martin’s work has been showcased in international exhibitions and honored with over 50 prestigious photography awards.
In 2024, Martin released his debut book, “Light in the Underworld – The Beauty and Secrets of the Mexican Cenotes”, with a foreword by Alex Mustard and an introduction by Paul Nicklen. The book was named one of the Top 10 Photography Books of 2024 by Smithsonian Magazine. This immersive body of work reveals more than 300 cenotes and underwater caves across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula—illuminating their geological formation, ancient fossils, and cultural legacy as sacred sites in Maya mythology. Through years of expeditions, Broen documents a realm few divers have ever seen, unveiling its ecological fragility and cultural richness with vivid storytelling and technical mastery.
Martin is a member of The Explorers Club (New York), the National Speleological Society, the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Circular Design Leadership Network.
He actively shares his work and knowledge through public talks and conferences on underwater exploration and conservation photography at venues such as: The Explorers Club (New York), The Royal Automobile Club (London), The British Society of Underwater Photographers, or his local club in NY Big Apple Divers.
Website: Martin Broen Photography
Instagram: @m.broen
NOVEMBER MASTERS CONTEST:
BLACK AND WHITE WRECK SHOT – WIDE ANGLE – Create a high-contrast black and white image that shows the interior or exterior of a wreck to dramatic effect. For example, capturing light penetrating the structure to highlight details and textures inside. Animals like sharks and goliaths can be in the frame but should not be the main subject. The same applies to models.
Submission deadline: October 31st
NOVEMBER CHALLENGERS CONTEST:
FLORIDA WRECKS – WIDE ANGLE – We are lucky to be able to dive so many incredible wrecks close to home. Create an image of your favorite – this could be a shot of the entire structure, for example, or a closer shot of its most identifiable feature. Please include the name and location of the Florida wreck in your caption.
Submission deadline: October 31st
NOVEMBER VIDEO CONTEST:
WRECK DIVING – WIDE ANGLE – Make a video gliding through the passageways of a wreck. Exterior shots are permissible to set the scene, but the majority of the footage should be taken inside the wreck. Highlight the structure and the variety of life found inside. May include footage taken while swimming, static shots, and panning shots. Length: 30 seconds to 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: October 31st
AUGUST MASTERS CONTEST:
TRANSLUCENCE – MACRO – Use directional lighting to capture the diffuse glow of translucent macro subjects, by day or night, and separate them from their background. Subjects may be backlit, lit from the sides, or lit with torches, for example. Subject must have at least one translucent area. Includes blackwater subjects.
Submission deadline: August 1st
AUGUST CHALLENGERS CONTEST:
FLOATING IN SPACE – MACRO – Create an image of any macro creature that naturally inhabits the water column by day or night. The subject must be in open water. Surface reflections are permissible, but the subject must not touch or be floating on the surface. No harming or manipulation of the animal allowed. Only macro subjects smaller than a 5×7″ postcard are permitted. Includes blackwater subjects.
Submission deadline: August 1st
AUGUST VIDEO CONTEST:
NUDI MATING DANCE – MACRO – Make a video that shows sea slugs laying eggs or mating. The subject may be any species of smaller sea slugs, not strictly nudibranchs. This includes headshield slugs, sapsucking slugs, and Janolus species. This is a macro category, so larger sea hares or larger side-gill slugs are not admissible. Subjects should be smaller than a 5 x 7″ postcard. May include one or several species. Length: 30 seconds maximum.
Submission deadline: August 1st
SEPTEMBER MASTERS CONTEST:
BLUR ME AWAY – ANY LENS – Create a feeling of movement by using a motion blur effect in a single exposure in camera. Use a slower than typical shutter speed (for example 1/10s to 1s) and front curtain sync for static subjects or rear curtain sync for moving subjects. Using a zoom lens to create the effect in camera is permitted as well.
Submission deadline: August 29th
SEPTEMBER CHALLENGERS CONTEST:
ACTION SHOT – ANY LENS – Create an image that captures the behaviors of fast-moving subjects, conveys a sense of motion, or captures the peak of the action. The subject may be any freely-moving animal (not a human). Examples could be dolphins playing, predation, or schools of fish darting or changing direction.
Submission deadline: August 29th
SEPTEMBER VIDEO CONTEST:
SLOW, SLOW, SLOW – ANY LENS – Create a video that uses slow-motion to artistic effect and emphasize and highlight important elements in your footage. It may be helpful to shoot your video in the highest frame rate possible with your camera to maintain clarity when it is slowed down. The extent to which your footage is slowed down can vary depending on the action or detail you want to emphasize. Length: 30 seconds to 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: August 29th
OCTOBER MASTERS CONTEST:
WAVE-CRASHING ACTION – WIDE ANGLE – Create an image of waves breaking, for example at the beach, shoreline, or over a shallow reef. The image must be taken in the water (no drones) from any perspective, including from underneath or in an over-under fashion. Sunrise and sunsets make for more interesting backdrops. No surfers or models; the motion of the wave(s) should be the main subject. Other living subjects are permissible in the frame.
Submission deadline: October 3rd
OCTOBER CHALLENGERS CONTEST:
UNDERWATER LANDSCAPES – WIDE ANGLE – Create a black and white landscape-style image. Possible subjects include underwater rock formations, coral ledges, or freshwater environments like caves, cenotes, and springs. The main subject should be a naturally-occurring underwater environment, not an animal or man-made structure. Wrecks are not permissible. Look for high contrast and varying textures in the environment.
Submission deadline: October 3rd
OCTOBER VIDEO CONTEST:
MERMAIDS – WIDE ANGLE – Create an artistic video of a mermaid shoot, underwater model(s), or freedivers – costumed or not. Video may also feature marine life, but humans should be the main subject. May be shot in a pool or any body of water. Length: 30 seconds to 1 minute maximum.
Submission deadline: October 3rd