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Underwater imaging is to enter a
new golden age in Britain, with the introduction of a festival to
celebrate the best in video and stills. The British Underwater Image
Festival will run from 17 to 19 March next year at the Birmingham NEC
as part of the Go Diving! show.
The competition has been
designed to apply across a range of abilities, from professional
television documentary makers to first-time photographers. Plans are
underway for the entries to be exhibited and shown in an event that
will mirror the Antibes underwater imaging festival in the South of
France.
Organisers of the show are
currently putting together a set of lavish prizes for the winners,
which will include top-end liveaboard trips, holidays and diving
equipment. The best 50 prints will be displayed on the walls outside
the dive theatre, while six finalists in the film categories will be
shown throughout the show on Friday and Saturday.
'Britain used to have
high-quality imaging festivals representing the work of divers, but
there hasn't been anything of note for a long time,' said DIVE editor Simon Rogerson. 'Now we are putting
on something which could grow into a showcase for the incredible
talent I know is out there. In France, they have the Antibes
Festival, which is a red-letter day for anyone who makes pictures
underwater. I believe the British Underwater Image Festival could
grow into something just as important.'
A panel of high-profile judges
was being set up as DIVE went to press, with legends Peter Scoones
and David Doubilet lined up to lend their weight to the festival.
The British Society of Underwater Photographers
(BSoUP - www.bsoup.org) will also be
involved in the planning and execution of the festival and Matthew
Ford of the picture library www.oceans-image.com will act as one of the
judges.
Print
stills
1. Open - anything goes
2. Young photographers: entrants must be under 30 yrs old on 17th
March 2006
3. Portfolio, six prints to be arranged in two rows of
three
Rules for print
stills
o maximum of six prints per entrant and one portfolio per
entrant
o there is no entry fee, but a payment of £5 will be required if you
want the prints to be returned
o prints must be A4 size with no exceptions, and will be mounted by
DIVE
o portfolios must be six A5 prints, accompanied by a guide showing in
which order they should be viewed, with three images on top and three
on the bottom - again, they will be mounted by DIVE
Video
1. Professional category: 30 minutes' documentary-style
2. Liveaboard category: ten minutes open style (must have been filmed
by a resident liveaboard or dive centre videographer)
3. Amateur category: five-minute short, open to all comers -
suggested categories include scientific; imaginative; humorous;
storyboard and holiday
Rules for
video
o films must have been shot or broadcast during 2005
o the six finalists' films will be shown throughout the show on
Friday and Saturday, interspersing documentaries with shorts
o judging will take place in advance of the Go Diving! show and the
decision of the judges will be final.
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