Underwater Photo Awards

What Underwater Photo Awards does

Underwater Photo Awards is a Russia-organized, internationally scoped annual underwater photography competition operated by Dive Photo Team in partnership with Moscow Dive Show. The competition accepts free submissions from photographers aged 18+ in any country, with each author permitted to upload up to 10 photographs across eight categories: Wide Angle, Macro, Underwater Inhabitants and Animal Behavior, On a Single Breath, Underwater Art & Creative Vision, Ocean Environment & Conservation, Mobile Photography, and a dedicated Russia category. A top "Photographer of the Year" title is awarded from finalists. Submissions are evaluated through a three-stage voting workflow that includes expert verification of RAW files to prevent manipulation.

The core product is the competition platform at uwp-award.ru, which serves as the registration, photo upload, and winner announcement portal, supplemented by a printed exhibition of winning photographs displayed at Moscow Dive Show. The 2025 inaugural cycle drew 4,322 photos from 1,856 authors and produced 77,701 jury ratings; the 2026 second edition adds a third-stage user voting layer where participants rate each other's work. The jury is anchored by recognized names in Russian and international underwater photography, including Alexander Semenov, Dmitry Kokh, and Manuel Castellanos Raboso, lending editorial credibility.

The business model is a freemium competition: participation is entirely free, the entity generates no fee-based revenue, and prizes are funded by category sponsors including DiveVolk, OpenDiver, RuDIVE, Molchanova Freediving School, Deep Water, Komandor Expeditions, and the conservation fund Nature and People. The organizer is identified as Klipp Evgenia Vyacheslavovna with operator D.A. Pitenin, and the entity is registered in Russia under Federal Law No. 152-FZ.

Name

Underwater Photo Awards

Legal name

Diver Photo Team

Website

https://uwp-award.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Underwater Photo Awards is a free, Russia-organized annual international underwater photography competition that accepts submissions in eight categories, judged by a professional jury and awarded at Moscow Dive Show.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Competition

NAICS

Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Underwater Photography & Videography Tours/Workshops (THAAAIAK), Underwater & Protective Gear (Housings, Cases, Cages, Rain Covers) (CRACAPAK)

Keywords

• Underwater photography competition
• International photo contest
• Photography awards platform
• Diving photography contest
• Photo exhibition event

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Competition Entry (Free): Participation is completely free with no mandatory fees. No revenue is generated from participant submissions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Underwater Photo Awards operates an annual international underwater photography competition with free participation open to photographers aged 18+ from any country. Submissions are accepted across eight categories (Wide Angle, Macro, Underwater Inhabitants and Animal Behavior, On a Single Breath, Underwater Art & Creative Vision, Ocean Environment & Conservation, Mobile Photography, and Russia), with up to 10 photos per author, evaluated by a professional jury through a multi-stage voting process with RAW file verification. Winners receive partner-sponsored prizes and their work is featured in a printed exhibition at Moscow Dive Show.

Product overview

Underwater Photo Awards is a single product — an international underwater photography competition platform organized by Dive Photo Team in partnership with Moscow Dive Show. The offering centers on the annual competition itself with 8 distinct nomination categories (Wide Angle, Macro, Underwater Inhabitants and Animal Behavior, On One Breath, Art, Environment & Ecology, Mobile Photography, and Russia), plus the overarching 'Photographer of the Year' title. The platform is free to enter, uses a 3-stage jury voting system with RAW file verification, and culminates in an award ceremony and printed exhibition at Moscow Dive Show. A user voting feature allows participants to rate each other's work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Underwater Photo Awards Competition Platform An annual international underwater photography competition platform where photographers aged 18+ can submit up to 10 photos across 8 categories for jury evaluation. Features open rules, RAW file verification, and free participation.
• Moscow Dive Show Exhibition Printed exhibition of winning photographs displayed at the Moscow Dive Show, with a 1000-seat hall capacity, where the award ceremony also takes place.
• User Voting System During the third stage of the competition, participants can rate photographs by other authors, forming a user rating alongside the jury evaluation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• DivePhotoTeamcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025DivePhotoTeam is a diving photography team that provides organizational support and expertise to the competition. They are listed as the organizer alongside Moscow Dive Show and handle the professional experience component of the competition.
• Moscow Dive ShowcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Moscow Dive Show is the primary venue partner hosting the award ceremony in a 1000-seat hall. They provide the scale and influence to reach the global diving community and large audience for the competition.
• DiveVolkmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Category sponsor for Underwater Art & Creative Vision category. Provides underwater photography equipment as prizes including Dive Light 2000 lumen SL20 for Underwater Photography and SeaTouch 4 Max underwater smartphone housings.
• OpenDivermajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Category sponsor for Macro category. Provides Mares Cruise Backpack Roller 128L bag as prize for the Macro category winner.
• RuDIVEmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Category sponsor for Underwater Inhabitants and Animal Behavior category. Provides diving day prizes (2 dives) at RuDIVE diving centers (excluding North Pole) as awards.
• Molchanova Freediving SchoolmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Category sponsor for On a Single Breath category. Provides fiberglass bifins (SPORT Bifins 3 Fiberglass) as prizes for the freediving photography category.
• Deep WatermajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Category sponsor for Russia category. Provides prizes for underwater photography specifically within Russian waters.
• FrogmanminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Listed partner supporting the competition with prizes for Wide Angle category.
• Komandor ExpeditionsmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Category sponsor for Ocean Environment & Conservation category. Provides 20% discount on Kamchatka yacht tours and commemorative souvenirs from the Russian conservation fund Nature and People.
• 1PhotominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Supporting partner of the competition.
• GlubinaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Media partner providing coverage of the competition winners.
• AquaticsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Supporting partner of the competition.
• InterholstminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Supporting partner of the competition.
• Nature and People (Priroda i Ludi)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Russian conservation fund that provides commemorative souvenirs (bottles with whale, tote bags with arctic fox) as prizes in the Ocean Environment & Conservation category.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nature Photographer of the Year (NPOTY): Large international nature photography competition with tiered categories and jury evaluation. Comparable on competition mechanics and target author profile, though broader in scope than underwater.
• BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition: Annual global nature photography competition run by the California Academy of Sciences. Comparable on multi-category judging, free-to-enter participation, and high-profile exhibition format.
• Sony World Photography Awards: One of the largest global photography competitions with professional, open, student, and youth divisions. Comparable on global reach and free entry mechanics; not an underwater specialist but sets industry expectations for prize scale and exhibition.
• Siena International Photo Awards: Global photography contest with extensive category coverage including nature and underwater. Comparable on international scope, fee/free tiered entry, and jury-led judging, though not specialized in underwater.
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Flagship annual global wildlife photography competition run by the Natural History Museum. Operates on a far larger scale, but the judging, exhibition, and category structure directly inform UWPA's model.

Direct peers

• Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY): Long-running international underwater photography contest with multiple categories (Wide Angle, Macro, Behavior, etc.). Closest analog to UWPA on category structure, jury credibility, and global eligibility, with significantly longer track record.
• Golden Turtle (Zolotaya Cherepakha): Major Russian nature and underwater photography competition. Direct peer in geography and audience, sharing Russian-speaking photographer communities and overlapping category sponsorship base.
• Ocean Photographer of the Year: Annual global underwater photography competition with judging by leading marine photographers. Most directly comparable competition to UWPA in category breadth, judging format, and target author base of professional and amateur underwater photographers.

Others

• DivePhotoTeam: Parent organizing entity and professional underwater photography collective behind UWPA. Comparable as the talent pipeline, content engine, and operational backbone that produces and curates UWPA submissions and jury.

Regional players

• Moscow Dive Show: Parent venue and platform partner hosting UWPA's award ceremony. Directly comparable as the leading CIS diving industry event and the platform through which UWPA distributes reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Underwater Photo Awards