Behind the Shots: Ocean Art 2023 Winners

The Underwater Photography Guide does it again with year's Ocean Art awards! 2023 was a monumental year for Ocean Art as it saw an unprecedented $120,000USD in prizes awarded. As always Ocean Art is a highly anticipated and well-publicized awards competition for the underwater photography community.

We're happy to share some of the winning photos from Ikelite Ambassadors and customers from around the globe. Congrats to all the winners and to Underwater Photography Guide on another successful year!

Bryant Turffs | Ikelite Ambassador

3rd Place, Wide Angle

bryant turffs 3rd place taken with ikelite underwater housing

"In Our Shadow" • Ikelite Canon 7D Mark II Underwater Housing © Bryant Turffs

Ferenc Lorincz

4th Place, Cold Water

"Carp Love" • Ikelite DS 160 II Strobes © Ferenc Lorincz

Chris Gug

4th Place, Blackwater

"Dangerous Shelter" • Ikelite DS230 Strobes © Chris Gug

Steven Kovacs | Ikelite Ambassador

Honorable Mention, Blackwater

steven kovacs ikelite housing and strobes

"Underwater Art" • Ikelite Nikon D500 Housing, Ikelite DS160 II Strobes © Steven Kovacs

Conor Culver

3rd Place, Underwater Digital Art

"Fall Writer" • Ikelite Nikon D800E Housing, Ikelite DS160 Strobes © Conor Culver

“The Big Fin Reef Squid was photographed in Beangabang, Alor, Indonesia on a muck/night dive.

"My idea for this image was to try and create a narrative with the ink blotches and the squid. Whenever I think of an author, I think of them in the autumn in the mountains. So I wanted to put the squid in that kind of environment. Lastly, as artists we use our art as a way to convey our emotions. When squid are threatened or scared (their emotions) they release their ink. This was just my meanings for this image, but I’ve always wanted the viewers to come up with their own. So my hope is that others view this image and come up with their own narrative.

"All of the images were photographed by me, the background is near Crested Butte, Colorado and the sketch book was photographed in my studio in Golden, Colorado. All of them were taken with my Nikon D800E.” - Conor Culver

Serge Melesan

3rd Place, Black & White

"Dress for the Sea" • Ikelite DS160 Strobes © Serge Melesan

Serge Melesan

Honorable Mention, Black & White

"Just Below" • Ikelite DS160 Strobes © Serge Melesan

Derek Singer

1st Place, Compact Behavior

Learn From the Pros

Want to cash in on the incredible prizes available from underwater photography competitions? Learn how to capitalize on your creativity with lessons from 100x competition winner Steven Kovacs. Or, take our advice on the basic tips for entering a photo contest. Or, tune into our Weekly Newsletter where you'll get a weekly dose of underwater photography tips and tricks to improve your craft and stay connected to the community. Whether you're in it for the fame, the glory, or just plain fun, competitions are a great way to improve your skills and make you a better photographer.