![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Best-of-Show-matty-smith-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
Best of Show ‘Blue Lasso’ (Matty Smith/Underwater Photography Guide)
Matty Smith
Believe it or not, humans have explored less than five percent of our planet’s oceans. But some have done it with a keener eye than others.
The Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition selects the best underwater photography of the year, and the 2016 results are nothing short of awe-inspiring. After evaluating thousands of photos submitted from over 60 countries, judges selected the image of a Portuguese Man of War as the overall winner. It was taken by Australian Matty Smith (see above). Smith is just one of the 95 photographers awarded prizes in the contest, which has a prize purse of $75,000.
RealClearLife has curated a gallery of our favorites from the other winning categories below.
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-macro-dennis-corpuz-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
1st Place – Macro (Dennis Corpuz/Underwater Photography Guide)
Dennis M. Corpuz
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-behavior-gino-symus-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
1st Place – Marine life behavior (Gino Symus/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-portrait-joaquin-gutierrez-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
1st Place – Portrait (Joaquin Gutierrez/Underwater Photography Guide)
Joaquin Gutierrez
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-cold-water-tobias-dahlin-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
1st Place: Coldwater (Tobias Dahlin/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-nudibranchs-rafael-cosme-00112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C1602)
1st Place – Nudibranchs (Rafael Cosme/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-supermacro-chad-tamis-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C801)
1st Place -Supermacro (Chad Tamis/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-reefscapes-jeong-sang-keun-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C1600)
1st Place – Reefscapes (Jeong Sang Keun/Underwater Photography Guide)
1st Place – Novice dSLR (Catalin Craciun/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-mirrorless-wide-eugene-kitsios-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
1st Place – Mirrorless Wide-Angle (Eugene Kitsios/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-mirrorless-macro-scipione-mannacio-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
1st Place – Mirrorless Macro (Scipione Mannacio Soderini/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-mirrorless-behavior-jenny-stromvoll-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C799)
1st Place – Mirrorless Behavior (Jenny Stomvoll/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-compact-wide-stephen-holinski-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
1st Place – Compact Wide-Angle (Stephen Holinski/Underwater Photography Guide)
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-compact-macro-lawrence-alex-wu-0112.jpg?resize=1200%2C826)
1st Place – Compact Macro (Lawrence Alex Wu/Underwater Photography Guide)
Lawrence Alex Wu
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-compact-behavior-lawrence-alex-wu-0112.jpg?resize=1200%2C741)
1st Place- Compact Marine Life Behavior (Lawrence Alex Wu/Underwater Photography Guide)
Lawrence Alex Wu
![Ocean Art Contest Winners](https://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/1st-pool-conceptual-christian-miller-0112-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C752)
1st Place – Pool/Conceptual (Christian Miller/Underwater Photography Guide)
Christian Miller
Learn more about the competition here.
—RealClearLife Staff
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