The British and Irish Underwater Photography Championship 2017: Winners Announced

In its third year and with record numbers of competitors, there was a fierce competition for top honours in the British and Irish Underwater Photography Championship 2017. Photographers from all over the UK and Ireland dived on 27th August, took pictures and submitted them on the same day to a panel of judges.

Organised by the British Society of Underwater Photographers in memory of Peter Scoones, one of its founding members, the competition is a major test of a photographer’s logistic, diving and photographic skills. The field was very strong this year with over sixty top class photographers and newcomers registering for the event. The competition enjoys excellent support from generous sponsors including Carpe Diem, a Maldives-based company that offers an amazing £1650 voucher to the winner for a trip on their superb dive boat. O’Three have sponsored the competition from inception and each year provide one of their sought-after tailored dry suits.

There is a growing and friendly rivalry between the British and Irish communities, who have each seen their photographers taking high honours in previous years. This year UK photographer Trevor Rees was awarded the title 2017 Champion after submitting a beautiful image of a Jewel Anemone set against a sunburst. It also won the best close-up category. Best newcomer was Brian Kelly with a delightful picture of a Fan Worm and the other two categories were won by Kirsty Andrews for a stunning wide angle picture of a Blue Shark, and Vicky Paynter who used a compact camera to win the restricted camera category with a delightful image of a seal.

British Society of Underwater Photographers Chairman and lead organiser Paul Colley said that, “The competition goes from strength to strength. More people are taking part every year and many of the images submitted now would have won the competition outright only a few years ago; the standards just keep climbing.”

You can see the full list of photographers, images, sponsors and awards at www.biupc.org.