Best Of UAE’s Photography Talent Awarded At the EDA’s 15th Annual Digital Online Underwater Photography & Film Competition

Celebrating its 15^th year, the annual Digital Online Underwater Photography & Film Competition, launched by the Emirates Diving Association(EDA) in 2009, rewards the best of the UAE’s underwater photography talent across multiple image and video categories.

Open to EDA members, the competition was introduced in 2009 with a mission to capture the beauty of the underwater world and reveal it to non-divers and those unfamiliar with the marine environment. Through the event, EDA seeks to develop a deeper relationship between the general public and the world’s oceans to develop an enduring respect for the oceans and encourage conservation practices.

Prizes were awarded to the winners by Juma Khalifa bin Thalith, EDA Chairman and celebrated author, Ali Khalifa bin Thalith, renowned photographer and filmmaker and Secretary General of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award, and Mohamed Faraj Abdulla Jaber, Health, Safety and Technical Inspector for EDA.

Attendees were also treated to a special guest appearance by award-winning underwater photographer and cinematographer Tobias Friedrich, courtesy of Grand Stores, a leading distributor and retailer of photographic equipment. Tobias gave a keynote presentation offering expert guidance and tips on underwater photography to the audience.

Commenting on the 2024 awards ceremony, Ibrahim Al Zu’ubi, Co-Founder of the Emirates Diving Association said: “My warmest congratulations to all the winners tonight, we have seen some breathtaking work in the imagery and videography of these talented ocean enthusiasts. It’s truly heartwarming to see such fantastic submissions from all the competitors, supporting our mission to reveal the underwater world we care about so deeply to audiences across the United Arab Emirates and the world. I’m also deeply grateful to our sponsors for the event, who never fail to provide superb prizes to reward the winners for their exceptional work. The competition could not succeed without you.”

During the awards ceremony hosted at Deep Dive Dubai, the world’s deepest diving pool, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes were presented to winners across seven categories, with over 13 different nationalities represented in the list of winners, including four Emirati nationals.

Deciding on the winners was a panel of judges comprising world-renowned photographers, authors and researchers from across the globe, including the UAE’s very own Mohamed Almusallami, an award-winning underwater photographer and marine biologist, affiliate at Mohammed bin Rashid Academy of Scientists, Head of Fisheries Management at the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and a Board Member at the Emirates Zoos and Aquariums Association.

Categories in the competition included Macro, Wide Angle, Best of the UAE, Black & White, Behaviour, Creative Underwater Photography, and the Video category, for which this year’s theme was ‘Coexistence’.

To find out more about the Digital Online Underwater Photography & Film Competition and the Emirates Diving Association, log onto www.emiratesdiving.com.