2008 Information Release
March 1, 2008 is the deadline for entries in
the 11th annual Underwater Images Photo/Video competition.
Underwater Images is a non profit corporation registered in
the State of Ohio with all proceeds from this competition
going to marine conservation, educational, and scholarship
purposes. For complete details on eligibility, rules, and
entry forms visit the official competition website at
www.UWIMAGES.org.
Categories include "Conservation", "Majestic", "Togetherness",
"Macro (Open & Novice)", "Wide Angle (Open & Novice)", a
"video" category, and a new category added this year entitled
“Divers and Marine Creatures.” In announcing this new
category, Roger Roth, competition founder and director, stated
that “This category fits well with a new beneficiary this year
and that is The Diveheart Foundation.”
Although based in Ohio, this competition is
international and the prizes also reflect an international
flare. Included among the Best of Show and First Prize awards
will be dive trips to Papua New Guinea, Honduras, the Solomon
Islands, the Cayman Islands, Hawaii and Indonesia. In addition
there are numerous awards of diving equipment and gift
certificates from sponsors.
The major international charities that the Underwater Images
Competition has supported for over a decade include WildCoast,
Pro Peninsula, and Mahonia Na Dari. WildCoast and ProPeninsula
are conservation organizations dedicated to empowering
communities in Baja California, Mexico to protect and preserve
their environment, with their main focuses being on a Sea
Turtle Conservation Network which has gained international
attention. Mahonia Na Dari (“Guardians of the Sea”) is a
Nature Conservancy non-profit group, which has been working to
protect Papua New Guinea's abundant biodiversity by teaching
their own instructors and students the importance of
sustainability of their own natural resources through hands-on
experiences. Since 1998 Underwater Images has contributed
significantly to each of these organizations.
The Best of Show prize in the competition will be a trip for
two to Walindi Plantation for two days, a seven-day cruise on
the MV FeBrina, and another two days at Walindi Plantation
following the FeBrina cruise! The Walindi Plantation Resort
and the MV FeBrina liveaboard are based out of Kimbe Bay in
Papua New Guinea.
A partial list of other prize sponsors includes: Bilikiki
Cruises Ltd. in the Solomon Islands, Loloata Island Resort in
PNG, Anthony's Key / Bahia Tours in the Bay Islands of
Honduras, DiveTech and Cobalt Coast Resort of Grand Cayman,
Nekton Cruises, Wakatobi and Pelagian Dive Resort, Kungkungan
Bay Resort and Tasik Ria Resort in North Sulawesi, SMY Ondina,
Kararu and Archipelago Resorts & Fleet in Indonesia.
Manufacturers who have consistently supported the competition
include: Ikelite, Diving Unlimited International, ReefNet,
Aqua Lung, Sherwood/Akona, Exploration Design, Omega Aquatics,
Gates Video Housings and Pinnacle Aquatics.
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