What a competition! The judges at Wetpixel and DivePhotoGuide were extremely impressed with the quality of submissions this year. Both photographers and digital cameras have fully matured in synchronous harmony, bringing the possibility of high quality underwater imaging to every diver with even a passing interest in underwater photography.

"Mystery Wreck," this year's Best of Show image by David Barrio, is brilliant in its black-and-white invocation of nostalgia. In nearly all of the categories, submissions showed clear signs of innovation, both in feats of technological excellence and in capturing different views of old subjects. There were many, many incredible images, making the judging process extremely difficult.

Macro photography winners were dominated by animals in striking -- and strange -- situations, and by well-planned, selective use of light and focus. Our wide-angle winners took us from dramatic cave formations to leopard seals on Antarctic icebergs to lilies floating in freshwater ponds.

The Compact Camera winners show that point-and-shoot cameras are capable of capturing images every bit as interesting as images captured by SLRs. Small size and increased depth of field given the same amount of light make compact cameras versatile tools for the underwater photographer.

Finally, we are excited to announce winners from the first Novice category we have offered at Our World Underwater. The Novice category gives non-professional photographers with little experience in underwater photography contests a chance to compete against their peers.

Congratulations to all of the winners of the Our World Underwater photography contest! If you would like to take a closer look at the winning images, please visit underwatercompetition.com.