ExeterMarine and Fourth Element have teamed up to bring you The Big Blue Photography Awards 2021. The overall winner will be chosen from six categories and will take home a wetsuit of their choice from the fourth element range, while the runner up will receive a fourth element Storm Poncho.

Following the success of the ExeterMarine Photography Competition in 2019, which received more than 200 entries in just two weeks, the competition is once again open for entries from photographers worldwide. This year the competition has returned with a brand new name and a selection of six new categories, with each category winner receiving a fourth element Drypack, Gulper water bottle and Xerotherm Beanie Hat.

Friendly Fulmar / Lewis Jefferies

The Big Blue Photography Awards aims to showcase the planetā€™s beautiful maritime landscapes, wondrous marine wildlife and spectacular underwater worlds, as well as the diverse people that depend on coastal and marine ecosystems in its six unique categories:

Clifftop Thrift / Robin Fisher

SOUTH WEST SEAS
In celebration of the wonderous marine life and landscapes on our doorstep, the South West Seas category welcomes any images of marine life and landscapes captured in South West England.

BLUE BRITAIN
Any images of British marine life and landscapes are eligible. This includes the coast of the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly, the Hebrides and the hundreds of other islands around our shores bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the North Sea.

Cornish Perfection / Jacob Guy

OUR GLOBAL SEAS
This category is a celebration of the planetā€™s wild seascapes and all that live within them. Entries can come from anywhere in the world, whether it be the warm waters of the Indian Ocean or the icy, dark depths of the Arctic.

PEOPLE AND THE SEA
From food to human health and wellbeing, recreation to livelihoods – the sea provides many vital services for people. This category welcomes images that capture the importance of the sea to people all over the world.

Anemone Crab / Jake Roberts

OCEANS UNDER THREAT
Humans have had an undeniable impact on our oceans. The Oceans Under Threat category gives photographers a platform to make a statement with their images on how humans are having an impact on the marine environment.

MARINE RESEARCH IN ACTION
Despite the many threats facing our oceans, there are a huge number of passionate and inspirational marine researchers who have dedicated their lives to improving the state of our oceans. In this category, we welcome images of these researchers in action!

Everyone is welcome to submit up to two photographs to the competition. We will showcase many of the entries on the ExeterMarine Twitter, Facebook and Instagram feeds throughout the next 4 weeks using the tag #BBPA2021.

The competition will close to entries at 5pm on Friday 2nd April 2021. So what are you waiting for? Submit your images here!

Fourth Element Wetsuits

#ExeterMarineĀ is an interdisciplinary group of marine related researchers with capabilities across the scientific, medical, engineering, humanities and social science fields.Ā If you are interested in working with our researchers or students, pleaseĀ visit our website!