Alpine Newt wins top prize in UM underwater photo contest

Best overall photo by Davide Lopresti: Juvenile tritone alpestre (ichthyosaura alpestris)

By Diana Udel d.udel@miami.edu 05-13-2019

MIAMI–May 13, 2019–An Alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) is declared the winner of the 2019 Annual Underwater Photography Contest hosted by the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The winning image was captured by Davide Lopresti in a mountain lake of the Liguria region of Italy. The image is one of 630 underwater images submitted for this year’s contest.

A panel of experts including UM Rosenstiel School marine biologists and professional photographers judged the photos that came from 30 countries and 20 U.S. states. Awards are given in four categories: macro, fish or marine animal portrait, wide angle and best overall submission. The competition also recognized the best UM student photo, which was of a school of large yellowtailgrunt surrounded by sergeant majors and Pacific creole fish, taken by Undergraduate marine science student Enzo Newhard at Corona del Diablo in the Galapagos Islands.

The annual underwater photography contest is open to all amateur photographers who earn no more than 20 percent of their income from their photography. View the winners of this year’s contest here. The ‘best overall’ prize is a trip on Blackbeard’s Cruises departing from Nassau to the Exuma Cays, Bahamas. The competition is generously sponsored by Bill Gallwey.

2019 Underwater Photo Contest Winners:

Overall Winner

Davide Lopresti, juvenile tritone alpestre (Ichthyosaura alpestris)

Location: Liguria, Italy

Macro

1^st place Andrey Shpatak, juvenile wonderpus octopus

(Wunderpus photogenicus)

Location: Anilao, Philippines

2^nd place: Andrey Shpatak, white trinchesia nudibranch (Tenellia sp)

Location: Tulamben, Bali Indonesia

3^rd place: Andy Deitsch, tiger cardinalfish (Cheilodipterus macrodon) Location: Gubal Strait, Red Sea, Egypt

Honorable mention: Davide Lopresti
juvenile banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) sheltering in spines of blue spotted sea urchin (Astropyga radiata)

Location: Lembeh, Indonesia

Fish or Marine Animal Portrait

1^st place: Andy Putnam, ocean sunfish (Mola mola)
Location: San Pedro Channel, Catalina Island, California, USA

2^nd place: Marco Steiner, diamond squid (Thysanteuthis rhombus)
Location: Kuramathi, Rasdhoo Atoll, Maldives

3^rd place: Andrey Shpatak, planktonic longarm octopus
(Macrotritopus defilippi)
Location: Anilao, Philippines

Wide-angle

1^st place: Debbie Wallace, sand tiger shark (Carcharius taurus) in a school of scad (Trachurus lathami)
Location: Morehead City, North Carolina, USA

2^nd place: Joerg Blessing, reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi)
Location: Baa Atoll, Maldives

3^rd place: Debbie Wallace, Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber)
Location: Morehead City, North Carolina, USA

Honorable Mention: Davide Lopresti, bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus)
Location: Monterosso, Liguria, Italy

UM Student

1^st place: Enzo Newhard, Large school of yellowtail grunt (Anisotremus interruptus) on the bottom with a mix of panamic sergeant majors (Abudefduf troschelii) and Pacific creolefish (Paranthias colonus) up higher in the water column

Location: Corona del Diablo, Floreana, Galapagos

2^ndplace: Romain Chaput, school of Atlantic spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber)
Location: Bear Cut bridge, Virginia Key, Florida

3^rd place: Daisy Buzzoni, Verco’s nudibranchs (Tambja verconis)
Location: Blairgowrie, Victoria, Australia