DIGITAL ONLINE 2026: The Results
We had another great turnout last Thursday for this year’s 17th Digital Online 2026 Awards and Exhibition Night! Thank you to everyone for coming and a huge congratulations again to all our winning photographers and videographers.
Opening speeches were given by Ibrahim Al-Zu’bi, EDA’s Co-Founder, Juma Bin Thalith, EDA’s Chairman and celebrated author, and Ali Bin Thalith, renowned photographer and filmmaker and Secretary General of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award!
Guests were also treated to a short presentation by Munther Ayache from prize sponsor Canon Middle East, and Project REEFrame’s Darryl Owen from Freestyle Divers, who discussed underwater photo and video storytelling in support of ocean awareness and conservation.
Thank you to all our prize sponsors who make this event possible: Grand Stores, Monster Middle East and Go Pro Middle East, Canon Middle East, Emirates Diving Association, XR Hub, Dive Garage, Sheesa Beach Dhow Cruises, Al Mahara Diving Center, and Desert Islands Resorts & Spa by Anantara, Dive Campus, Divers Down, Goblin Dive Center, and Al Boom Diving; to Deep Dive Dubai for the continuous support and partnership; to Print Works and Giga Works for always providing us with the gorgeous prints; and to all our members and guests who came to share this very special evening with us.
A Big Congratulations to our 3rd Place Digital Online 2026 winners!
WINNER: Jon Lapeyra 3rd Place Creative Underwater Photography (403 pts)
SPONSOR: EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION
PRIZE: The Best of Digital Online Book – First Volume (2011-2017); and an EDA Spinal T-shirt in the design, colour, and size of choice.
WINNER: Hamid Al Ali 3rd Place Wide-Angle (413 pts)
SPONSOR: GOBLIN DIVE CENTER
PRIZE: Two Tank Boat Dives
WINNER: Felipe Morales 3rd Place Black & White (428 pts)
SPONSOR: GOBLIN DIVE CENTER
PRIZE: Two Tank Boat Dives
WINNER: Naima Amari 3rd Place Behaviour (431 pts)
SPONSOR: AL BOOM DIVING
PRIZE: 2 Pleasure Dives with Al Boom Diving on East Coast. Includes full equipment.
WINNER: William Gausch 3rd Place Best of the UAE (447 pts)
SPONSOR: DIVE CAMPUS
PRIZE: 2 East Coast Dive Trips with Dive Campus (4 dives). Includes full equipment.
WINNER: Yanni Smith 3rd Place Macro (480 pts)
SPONSOR: DIVERS DOWN
PRIZE: 3 Pleasure Dives with Divers Down Fujairah. Includes full equipment.
WINNER: Yevheniia Rehush 3rd Place Video: An Ocean Story (404 pts)
SPONSOR: GRAND STORES
PRIZE: AED 300 Gift Voucher- Redeemable at all UAE Grand Stores Showrooms.
A Big Congratulations to our 2nd Place Digital Online 2026 winners!
WINNER: Aadel Alzaabi 2nd Place Behaviour (436 pts)
SPONSOR: GRAND STORES
PRIZE: AED 500 Gift Voucher- Redeemable at all UAE Grand Stores Showrooms.
WINNER: Paul John Mamiit 2nd Place Creative Underwater Photography (438 pts)
SPONSOR: DIVE GARAGE
PRIZE: DiveVolk SL20 Video Light for Underwater Photography
WINNER: Samer Halwany 2nd Place Black & White (451 pts)
SPONSOR: SHEESA BEACH DHOW CRUISES
PRIZE: A 2 Nights Sharing Musandam Liveaboard Dive Trip
WINNER: Anthony Leydet 2nd Place Wide-Angle (454 pts)
SPONSOR: CANON
PRIZE: Canon SELPHY CP1500 Colour Portable Photo Printer
WINNER: Ola Khalaf 2nd Place Best of the UAE (468 pts)
SPONSOR: DIVE GARAGE
PRIZE: DiveVolk Ocean Kit (Seatouch 4 Max)
WINNER: Mohamed Mohsen 2nd Place Macro (487 pts)
SPONSOR: MONSTER MIDDLE EAST
PRIZE: GoPro HERO13 + LARQ Bottle Swig Top + Monster Blaster Micro Bluetooth Speaker Bundle
WINNER: Mohamed Mohsen 2nd Place Video: An Ocean Story (432 pts)
SPONSOR: DESERT ISLANDS RESORTS & SPA BY ANANTARA and AL MAHARA DIVING CENTRE
PRIZE: Complimentary one night stay in a Deluxe Sea View Room inclusive of breakfast for two adults and a 2-tank dive trip and a mangrove kayak trip at Anantara on Sir Bani Yas Island.
A Big Congratulations to our 1st Place Digital Online 2026 winners!
WINNER: Hesma Fivaz 1st Place Creative Underwater Photography (470 pts)
SPONSOR: MONSTER MIDDLE EAST
PRIZE: GoPro HERO13 + LARQ Bottle Swig Top + Monster Blaster Micro Bluetooth Speaker Bundle
WINNER: Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto 1st Place Behaviour (478 pts)
SPONSOR: MONSTER MIDDLE EAST
PRIZE: GoPro HERO13 + LARQ Bottle Swig Top + Monster Blaster Micro Bluetooth Speaker Bundle
WINNER: Sundeep Rao 1st Place Wide-Angle (482 pts)
SPONSOR: CANON
PRIZE: Canon PIXMA PRO-200S A3 Plus Colour Photo Wireless Printer
WINNER: Philippe Lecomte 1st Place Black & White (485 pts)
SPONSOR: EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION
PRIZE: Cash Prize: AED1,000
WINNER: Ahmed Al-Ali 1st Place Best of the UAE (498 pts)
SPONSOR: XR HUB
PRIZE: Akuana Single Tank Regulator Package with 1st Stage, 2nd Stage, and SPG
WINNER: Taner Atilgan 1st Place Macro (534 pts)
SPONSOR: EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION
PRIZE: Cash Prize: AED1,500
WINNER: Mohamed Azmey 1st Place Video: An Ocean Story (474 pts)
SPONSOR: EMIRATES DIVING ASSOCIATION
PRIZE: Cash Prize: AED2,000
Overall Digital Online Winners
And this year’s Overall Photography Winner is Mohamed Mohsen (2,649 pts), and the Overall Videographer Winner is Mohamed Azmey (474 pts)!
DIGITAL ONLINE 2026: The Awards and Exhibition Night
We invite you to register to this year’s Digital Online Underwater Photography and Film Competition Awards & Exhibition Night to congratulate this year’s winners!
DATE: Thursday 14th of May 2026
TIME: 19:00 Registration | 19:30-20:30am Awards | 21:00-21:30 Finish
LOCATION: Deep Dive Dubai (by email registration only – limited spaces, no walk-ins allowed)
We look forward to seeing you all on this very special night to celebrate this year’s award-winning work from our photographers and videographers that highlights the importance of protecting our fragile marine environment. We have our partners and prize sponsors to thank in making this event possible each year. Join us at this social evening and cheer this year’s winners on!
Refreshments and a specially prepared menu of canapés will be served at the event.
*PLEASE NOTE: This is a catered event for members. There is a AED50 entry fee for Non-Members if you would like to register guests.
Email Kacy at projects@emiratesdiving.com to book your spaces.
DIGITAL ONLINE 2009-2026
Digital Online – EDA’s Underwater Photography and Film Competition, is about to celebrate its 17th year! The competition was introduced by EDA in 2009 to resident photographers to develop a relationship and human interaction amongst those unfamiliar with the underwater world environment. The competition holds both local and international marine life categories to offer variety between our local and international diving enthusiasts. The film category was introduced as an extension to the competition in 2012 to share our underwater world through motion pictures and deliver a better understanding of the habitats and surroundings.
The event sees continuous and steady growth with new underwater photographers taking part and joining our regular annual participants. The enthusiasm and passion strives on, and the drive to bring our underwater world’s conservation to the forefront increases even more so. The purpose of Digital Online is to keep our underwater world visible by displaying its hidden beauties and to exemplify its importance to all life on Earth through the powers of its ecosystems.
The event has attained equal success with non-divers who come to support the participating photographers and videographers at the annual Awards and Exhibition Night. Whether it’s through discussions, or articles published for our readers through our free quarterly magazine, Divers for the Environment, the inspiration the event brings, is a success in its own right.
COMPETITION CLAUSE
EDA does not disclose photographers’ names during the judging process. The competition is run fairly and without prejudice, professionally adhering to all of Digital Online’s rules and guidelines throughout.
THE DIGITAL ONLINE RULES AND GUIDELINES 2026
RULES AND GUIDELINES 2026
• Digital Online is open to all photographers and videographers of all skill levels with valid EDA membership. EDA membership must be acquired or renewed if expired in order to take part which can be done through the EDA website.
• Each competitor can only win one prize. Other winning images will be displayed at the event as Highly Commended.
• The other prize or prizes are awarded to the next photographer in line with the highest score, and so on.
• Winners will choose their own prize in order of winning status.
• Participants are obligated to follow environmental conservation regulations and to respect the underwater world during the process of taking their stills and videos. Any damage to the underwater world, including the disruption of the natural habitat of marine life, provocation through touching, displacing, feeding or annoying, is prohibited and will disqualify the images or the photographer/videographer.
• By entering the competition, entrants declare that they own copyright of the submitted photographs and films which generates an automatic acceptance of all the rules. EDA reserves the right to publish images in the ‘Divers for the Environment’ magazine, on EDA’s social media pages and EDA website. Images will also be used in any future promotional material for EDA events and competitions royalty free, but copyright remains with the photographer. Use of images or video will require no additional written or verbal permission from the photographer or videographer.
• Images (photos or videos) must not have already been submitted to previous Digital Online competitions.
• Photos and videos must be taken underwater unless specified in a category description.
• Manipulation is restricted to colour correction, brightness, contrast, sharpening and cropping, except for the Creative Photography category. The Digital Online judges reserve the right to examine RAW/untouched images in the other categories if requested.
• Removing backscatter is allowed to an extent, this does not include the removal of subjects such as fish or divers, or cutting and pasting sections of images from one to another, except for the Creative Photography category.
• The winners will be announced and their work displayed at the exhibition and award ceremony on the 14th of May 2026. Participants who do not make it to the evening of the event will be asked to collect their prize from the EDA offices.
• Judges, Sponsors and prizes are announced here in the March 2026 magazine issue.
• We pledge to run this photography and video competition ethically, and with integrity. Our judges have volunteered their time to help. The photographers’ details remain hidden to the judges during the judging process.
• All judges’ decisions are final.
HOW TO ENTER
• Submissions may be entered from Monday 2nd of March 2026.
• The entry deadline is Friday 3rd of April 2026 at 11:59pm (GST – Gulf Standard Time).
• Submit entries to: photo@emiratesdiving.com with the requested *category details included for each photo and film submission.
File names should include participant’s name and the category as follows:
1. Name – Macro.jpg
2. Name – Wide Angle.jpg
3. Name – Best of the UAE.jpg
4. Name – Black & White.jpg
5. Name – Behaviour.jpg
6. Name – Creative Photography.jpg
7. Name – An Ocean Story.mp4
• Photo entries must be saved in jpeg format and should be sized between 2000 and 6000 pixels in the longest dimension. Please limit your images to a maximum file size of 5MB. Images will be viewed on a monitor and should be in the Adobe RGB 1998 or sRGB colour space.
• Video submissions must be in mp4 format.
• Photography and video entries are to be sent electronically through WeTransfer.
• You will receive an email to confirm your registration with photos and/or video upload. If you do not receive one within 24 hours, your email may not have come through and you may need to try again.
HOW PRIZES ARE AWARDED
Once the judging is complete, the winners will be able to choose a prize available to them on the list they will receive via email. Digital Online Judges award a 3-way point system to each photograph/video consisting of Technique, Composition, and Impact which is added to give the image or video’s total grand score.
Best of show with the highest points will get first choice. 1st place winners by highest score will choose a prize before all other winners, 2nd place winners before 3rd place winners, etc.
Please note, each individual can only win one prize. If photographers get a multiple win, their highest scoring image will win a prize and the other will get a highly commended mention which will also be displayed at the event.
PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORIES
Photographers may enter one image per photography category. The categories are open to photos taken with any type of camera: DSLR, mirrorless or compact.
*Details to Include For Each Photo Submission:
- Photographer Name
- Category
- Location
- Story Behind the Shot
- Camera & Gear
- Settings
1. MACRO
Definition: Photographs taken with close-up equipment, portraying underwater flora and/or fauna. The photographer may not crop the original more than 20%. The original image may be requested.
2. WIDE ANGLE
Definition: Photographs taken with a wide angle lens (or adapters that provide an equal field-of-view), with or without human presence, portraying the natural beauty of the underwater environment.
3. BEST OF THE UAE
Definition: Any underwater subject taken in the UAE or Musandam.
4. BLACK & WHITE
Definition: Black and white photography is timeless and elegant. Focus on tonal contrast, shapes and textures and the composition of the shot.
5. BEHAVIOUR
Definition: A photograph showing marine life action, such as feeding, cleaning, schooling, mating, fighting, etc. May be captured under or above water.
6. CREATIVE UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
Definition: This field is wide open. It can involve a simple workflow used to capture a unique look of a photo. Or it can be a complex post-processing technique that is used to bring out the mood and textures in an image. Photos entered into this category can be taken in any underwater environment – including controlled environments (e.g. pools, tanks). The main subject can be anything ranging from an abstract concept to a person (a diver, freediver, model, etc.) to a fish. There are no post-processing (photoshop) limits in this category. This category is designed to let your imagination swim free.
VIDEO CATEGORY
Videographers may enter one film with the following title:
7. AN OCEAN STORY
Guidelines: Looking for films of all genres – documentaries, narratives, shorts and animation films. Film subject must focus on all aspects of our underwater world including but not limited to: ocean exploration, wildlife, environmental, conservation and oceanography.
- All film genres will be accepted.
- Content must focus or relate to the ocean.
- Non-English films must have subtitles.
- If music is used, it must be from a public domain or royalty-free.
- Film length should be 5 minutes or less, including credits.
- Winning films will be chosen on creativity and the ability to tell a story that leaves the audience better informed and/or moved by the ocean.
*Details to Include with Video Submission:
- Videographer Name
- Genre
- Location
- Story Behind the Film
- Camera & Gear
Please make sure to submit entries to: photo@emiratesdiving.com with the requested *category details included for each photo and film submission. Do not click on the Register Now button at the top of this page to enter this competition.
DIGITAL ONLINE’S 2026 PRIZE SPONSORS:
