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The details for Dive Dauin 2026 competition haven’t been published yet, but organisers told me we can expect even more prizes (last time there was about USD 17,000 worth of dive trips and equipment) and a very similar structure in terms of categories and rules, so here’s my take on this.
What I really like is how the competition is structured so that:
• Beginners don’t have to compete head-to-head with multi-award-winning photographers, and
• Compact/smartphone users aren’t competing against DSLR or mirrorless shooters who are working with a very different level of equipment.
In the last edition, there were 3 sections for photography and 1 for videography:
• Beginner Section – For people who have never won a photo competition prize, using an action camera, smartphone, or a compact camera like the Olympus TG series.
• Compact Section – Anyone using a fixed-lens camera (Olympus TG, Sony RX, Canon G7 series, etc), regardless of experience or previous wins.
• Open Section – Anyone can enter, with any gear. This is where you’ll find the mirrorless and DSLR users, regardless of previous experience/wins.
The Compact and Open sections each had 7 categories: Macro, Nudibranch, Fish Portraits, Wide Angle, Behaviour, Creative Lighting, and Bonfire.
The Beginner section had 3 categories: Macro, Nudibranch, and Fish Portraits.
Videographers competed in a single category, creating a 60-second (16:9) reel — footage could be from different cameras, as long as it was all shot during the competition days.
As I said in the past, I think having a variety of categories is great: as a judge, I won’t have to decide between a great turtle shot and a great nudibranchs shot. As an entrant, there’s less second guessing on which photos to submit.
In terms of post-processing, participants were expected to edit their images, but the restrictions on what was allowable (limited cropping, limited backscatter reduction, etc) certainly meant that in-camera skills, composition & lighting techniques were rewarded more than Lightroom/Photoshop fluency. In anycase, one of my talks will cover permissible & recommended editing, to avoid any confusion.
I think Dive Dauin is a great event for any underwater image marker to attend. Whether you’re aiming for a podium placement, or simply looking for a creative challenge, it’s a great excuse to push yourself and take your underwater imaging skills to the next level.
And remember: in person competition like this aren’t just about prizes, it’s also about the people you’ll meet, being surrounded by divers who share the same imaging passion, whether they’re just getting started or have been shooting for 20 years.