SeaWeb and Project AWARE Announce Annual Photo Contest Winners

Winning Eco Image Nets Fiji Diving Package

 

October 27, 2009-SeaWeb and the Project AWARE Foundation reveal the winners of their second annual Ocean in Focus conservation photography contest. This year's contest attracted hundreds of submissions to SeaWeb's Marine Photobank from amateur and professional photographers alike, who have donated images depicting not just the magnificence of the ocean but also the environmental impacts degrading it.

 

"Conservation images are key to advancing protection of underwater environments and the call for eco photos is on the rise," said Dawn M. Martin, president of SeaWeb. "The ocean has long been a subject of great inspiration for photographers. But now more than ever photographers from around the world have learned that they can harness the power of the lens to illuminate the impacts on marine ecosystems and help save and restore the health and beauty of our ocean."

 

The Ocean in Focus Grand Prize was awarded to Matthew Potenski, a photographer and director of field operations at the Shark Research Institute. The institute is a nonprofit organization based in Princeton, New Jersey, that works to promote shark conservation. Potenski's winning shot was that of a

mangrove shoot standing in the path of a backhoe that is in the process of tearing into prime lemon shark habitat. "This captivating photo shines a light on both the hope for and the threats to our marine environments and their struggle to survive against all odds," said Martin. Potenski receives a grand prize package that includes seven nights of ocean-view accommodations and six days diving for two at Matava, a premier eco-adventure resort in Fiji.

 

Among the environmental impacts highlighted in this year's contest submissions was the danger of discarded fishing nets catching untargeted marine life. These were well represented in this year's selections, and first prize winners Viora Alessio and Csaba Tokolyi each depicted this issue in the following two contest categories, respectively: "Ecosystem Decline/Species of Concern" and "Humans and the Ocean: Impacts and Solutions."

 

Two world-renowned photographers served as contest judges: filmmaker Bob Talbot and Wolcott Henry, founder of the Marine Photobank. "The impact of human activity on coral reefs, and the ocean overall, continues to increase," said Henry. "As divers, documenting these impacts and what is being done to counter them is a personal way of contributing to the conservation of what we want to protect. It is a great pleasure to see the number and quality of images submitted to this year's Ocean in Focus conservation photography contest, including many from other countries."

 

All winning images and other submissions can be viewed at and downloaded from the Marine Photobank.

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Project AWARE Foundation, a registered nonprofit organization, works in direct partnership with divers and water enthusiasts to conserve underwater environments through education, advocacy and action. Project AWARE headquarters in the United States and offices in Australia, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Japan combine efforts to protect aquatic resources in 180 countries and territories of the world.

 

Founded in 1996, SeaWeb is an international, nonprofit organization that envisions a world where people understand and act upon the knowledge that a healthy ocean is vital to all life and essential to a sustainable future. SeaWeb convenes and connects scientists, the media, government and the business community to illuminate marine research and bring it into the market and policy arenas. Through dialogue among these diverse voices and by utilizing social science techniques such as opinion surveys and in-depth interviews, SeaWeb gains insights into human perceptions, behavior and knowledge. SeaWeb's approach stimulates collaborative, innovative solutions that catalyze positive changes that seek to protect and restore the ocean's health.

 

The Marine Photobank, a program of SeaWeb, advances ocean conservation by collecting and providing compelling, high-quality marine photos, images and graphics at no cost for non-commercial use as well as for media use under special terms. The Marine Photobank aims to illuminate through photographic imagery pressing marine issues and human-related impacts on the ocean.

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Contact: Tiffany Leite, Project AWARE Foundation

Phone: +1 949 858 7657 Ext. 2448

E-mail: tiffany.leite@projectaware.org

Contact: Devin Harvey, SeaWeb

Phone: +1 301 830 7082

E-mail: dharvey@seaweb.org

 

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