Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021

* Visit competition Facebook Page, stay tuned to new information and updates of the event and the competition

“Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021” Results

* Download Booklet of Winning Entries

“Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021” Exhibitions of Winning Entries

Two roving exhibitions of winning entries will be held as follows:

Date: 28 November to 2 December 2021
Time: 10am to 7pm
Venue: Venue A, Level 7, Fortune Metropolis, Hung Hom

Date: 2 January to 6 January 2022
Time: 10am to 7pm
Venue: Atrium C, L2, MOSTown, Ma On Shan

An online virtual exhibition has been set up so that you can enjoy the exhibition while staying at home.

"Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021 " Details

* Download Poster of Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021

Aim
Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021 is co-organised by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and Hong Kong Underwater Association (HKUA). It aims to promote the beauty of underwater marine life and marine ecology in Hong Kong, and raise public awareness of the importance in conservation of our marine environment.

Groups
1. Open Group – Digital Photo Competition (Macro & Close-up Category, Standard & Wide Angle Category), and Digital Video Competition
2. Student Group – Digital Photo Competition

Contestants can only participate in either Open Group or Student Group.

Eligibility and Entry Requirement

Contestants must hold a diver’s certificate recognized by HKUA and must be aged 15 or above.
Contestants of the Student Group must be full-time students.
All entries should showcase marine life or ecology in Hong Kong waters.
Digital photos should be taken in Hong Kong waters within the designated period from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021, while digital videos should be taken in Hong Kong waters from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2021.
Entries must be the original photos or videos taken by the contestants; and prior to the submission, were not for sale, published or awarded in any other competitions.
The contestants shall not in any form disclose his/her identity on the entries.
Personnel being involved in the organising of the competition are not allowed to enter the competition.

Rules and Regulations

Open Group – Digital Photo Competition (Macro & Close-up Category, Standard & Wide Angle Category)

Contestants should be enrolled as individual. Each contestant may submit up to 10 photos for each category.
Entries must be original photos taken by the contestants. Except for minor adjustments such as full-frame optimisation of white balance, brightness, contrast, colour saturation, sharpening and cropping, no manipulation is allowed, for example, synthetic modification or colour-change by computer post-processing.
Once the entries are shortlisted, the original untouched file of the entries and a file with minor modification (for exhibition purpose) must be provided by the contestants in JPEG/RAW/TIFF format, resolution of which should not be less than 3200x2400 (4:3) or 3600x2400 (3:2). The minor modification is defined as no more than 10% optimisation of colour, exposure and/or cropping. Entries may be disqualified if the original untouched files cannot be provided.
Contestants are reminded to pre-set the date of the camera before shooting.

Open Group – Digital Video Competition

Contestants can be enrolled either as an individual or a team. Contestants should submit no more than three entries for the video competition.
Entries must be in 720i Standard-definition (SD) resolution or above. Edited video clips should not be longer than 1 min. Video entries should be in H.264/MPEG-4 format.
Accompanying music, if included in the video, should be royalty free and not infringe any copyrights.
Video editing will be allowed. However, computer graphics and animations should be minimised. At least 75% of the video should be taken underwater.

Student Group – Digital Photo Competition

No categories will be set for Student Group, and other requirements are the same as for Open Group – Digital Photo Competition. There is no Digital Video Competition for Student Group.

The organisers have the right to disqualify the entries that do not meet the above rules and regulations for the competition. Organisers also reserve the right to timely amend the rules and regulations of the competition without prior notice to the contestants.

Judging Criteria
Digital Photo: all entries will be scored by the judges on the basis of the shooting difficulty, the overall beauty and the expression of the message.

Digital Video: all entries will be scored by the judges on the basis of the theme, the creativity, the technical skill (visual impact, editing, background music), the expression of the message and the overall performance.

* If a contestant submitted a number of entries with similar content and composition, only the highest-scored entry may be awarded. Other similar entries will not be considered.

Judging Panel
Mr David Hsiung
Mr Alfred Li
Mr Raymond Man
Mr Denny Wong
Mr John Ng
Mr Ken Ching
Representatives of the organisers

Entries Submission
Method 1
Visit “Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition 2021 – Enrolment Page” to fill in entry form, upload diving certificate, student card (only applicable to Student Group) and entries.

Method 2
Entries may also be submitted together with the electronic copy of the duly completed entry form, diving certificate and student card (only applicable to Student Group) by email at mar_con_biodiv@afcd.gov.hk. Video entries must be provided with a hyperlink to download the video. Acknowledgement e-mail will be sent to the contestants for successful submission.

Deadline
30 September 2021 (Thursday)

Awards

Open group
Champion, First Runner-up and Second Runner-up in both Categories under Digital Photo Competition and in Digital Video Competition. In addition, up to 10 Outstanding Awards will be given in each Category of Digital Photo Competition. Up to 3 Special Prizes for Junior Underwater Photographers will be given in both Categories under Digital Photo Competition and in Digital Video Competition for outstanding entries taken by the contestants who have not received any awards from underwater photo or video competitions in Hong Kong or overseas. The prizes include trophies or certificates.

Student Group
Up to 3 Special Prize for Student Underwater Photographer. The prizes include trophies or certificates.

Up to 2 Hoi Ha Special Awards and up to 2 Biodiversity Awards for all entries to Digital Photo Competitions in both Open and Student Groups. The prizes include trophies or certificates.

Hong Kong Underwater Association will select a best underwater photographer and a best underwater videographer among all winning entries. He or she will be eligible to represent Hong Kong to enter oversea competitions (The organisers reserve the right to make the final decision).

Each winner will be informed for the award on or before 30 November 2021. Champion of each category may be invited to introduce their awarded entries and share their tips in taking the entries in the prize presentation ceremony and subsequent public seminars or sharing session introducing marine ecology of Hong Kong. The winning entries will be displayed for educational purpose.

Copyright
Contestants shall comply with the relevant Copyright Law. Entries in violation of copyright or related offenses, including but not limiting to being borrowed, reproduced, copied or counterfeited, will be disqualified. The offender shall bear their own legal liability. Any legal disputes are not related to the organisers.

The organisers reserve the rights including but not limiting to exhibit, publicly display, distribute, reproduce, edit, print and publish the entries without prior notice to the contestants. No fees will be payable for any of the above uses.

Once the entries have been submitted for the competition, the contestant is assumed to recognise and accept the terms stated in this brochure.

Enquiries
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
Tel: 3468 5467
Fax: 3468 3014
E-mail: mar_con_biodiv@afcd.gov.hk
Website: http://www.afcd.gov.hk/

Hong Kong Underwater Association
Tel: 2504 8154
Fax: 2577 5601
E-mail: enquiry@hkua.org.hk
Website: http://www.hkua.org.hk/

Useful Resources / Links:

Hong Kong Underwater Photo and Video Competition Facebook
Hong Kong Underwater Association Facebook
Hong Kong Underwater Association

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Award Winners of Competition 2012