The British Underwater Image Festival (BUIF) 2009 sponsored by Canon and Cameras Underwater is now officially open to entries from underwater photographers and film-makers throughout the world.
The British Underwater Image Festival (BUIF) 2009 sponsored by Canon and Cameras Underwater is now officially open to entries from underwater photographers and film-makers throughout the world.
Organisers are pleased to announce that camera manufacturer Canon and Cameras Underwater are to continue with their overall sponsorship of the event, following the success of the competition in 2008.
Thousands of pounds worth of prizes will be available to winners and runners-up across the underwater stills and video photography categories. For the first time, the prestigious competition has introduced a stills and video category dedicated to British waters.
DIVE editor Simon Rogerson said: 'It is only right that BUIF should have a dedicated section for underwater photography taken in British waters. Last year, we received a lot of high-quality entries taken in Britain, so creating a special section of the festival was a natural step.
'Taking competition-quality photographs in British waters is a true test of diving skill - all the factors that make marine photography so challenging are magnified in UK conditions, but it also makes success all the more satisfying. With plans for a system of protected marine parks around the UK, there couldn't be a more important time for photographers to communicate the fragile beauty of our underwater environment. I'm really looking forward to seeing the entries.'
All shortlisted images and videos will be showcased at the DIVE FEST in Cornwall on 15-17 May 2009, while prints will go on a month-long public display at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth in the summer. Confirmed prize sponsors include Mares, Apeks, Sea & Sea, Scuba Travel and PADI.
First launched in 2005, the BUIF has become one of the most prestigious international underwater photography competitions in the world. BUIF 2008 saw more than 1,300 entries sent in by underwater photographers and film-makers from 30 different countries. Entrants competed in seven categories in the stills competition and three categories in the videography section (see www.divemagazine.co.uk/buif2008).
The stills photography section is judged by award-winning photographer Alex Mustard, co-founder of the British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) Colin Doeg, DIVE editor Simon Rogerson and celebrated British photographer Charles Hood. The DVD section is judged by BBC natural history film-maker Peter Scoones, Simon Rogerson and Colin Doeg.
The 2009 BUIF competition will also include another first: an on-the-day shootout in the waters of Cornwall. Underwater photographers from across the UK will be battling it out to be named the British Underwater Image Festival Splash-In Champion at the UK's new dive beach festival in May 2009. Hundreds of pounds' worth of prizes will be up for grabs to winners of the shootout in the three categories of Wide-angle, Macro and Fish Portrait.
The deadline for entries for BUIF 2009 is 31 March 2009.
