UWPA 2026: DIVEVOLK Sponsors Russia's Underwater Photo Awards — Full Results & Mobile Photography Winners

Russia's underwater photography scene just got a major boost. After a decade without a large-scale international competition, the Underwater Photo Awards (UWPA) launched its inaugural season in 2025 — and DIVEVOLK was there from the very beginning as a founding partner.

The first-ever UWPA awards ceremony took place on February 21, 2026, at the Moscow Dive Show, one of the largest diving exhibitions in Russia and Eastern Europe. More than 1,000 photographs from over 100 photographers representing 11 countries were submitted across 8 competition categories.

A Competition Built on Accessibility

What makes UWPA stand out is its philosophy. The organizers designed the competition to challenge the assumption that underwater photography requires expensive, complex professional equipment. As they put it:

"We often encounter the perception that underwater photography belongs exclusively to the realm of expensive equipment and complex technical setups. For the Underwater Photo Awards, the focus is not on the device, but on the author — their vision, sense of composition, and creative approach."

This philosophy is reflected in the competition structure: alongside traditional categories like Wide Angle and Macro, UWPA features a dedicated Mobile Photography category and a One Breath (Freediving) category — welcoming photographers who work outside conventional scuba-and-DSLR setups.

DIVEVOLK's Role: More Than a Logo on a Wall

DIVEVOLK's involvement in UWPA went far deeper than typical brand sponsorship:

• Founding partner — brand logo displayed on the official partner wall alongside other leading dive industry names
• Exclusive Mobile Photography category sponsor — all three prizes were DIVEVOLK products
• Art category sponsor — the DIVEVOLK SL20 Dive Light (2,000 lumens) served as the category prize
• Trophy co-producer — the glass competition trophy for the inaugural season was manufactured in China with DIVEVOLK's participation
• Exhibition contributor — the curated 20-work exhibition included mobile photographs shot with DIVEVOLK housings

Mobile Photography Winners — All Shot Underwater with Smartphones

The Mobile Photography category proved to be one of the most exciting divisions of the competition. Chinese photographer Kaidong He took the gold with "Glimpse" — a stunning close-up of a pipefish peering through vivid pink and purple soft coral polyps. The color saturation, bokeh, and precise focus make it almost impossible to believe this was captured on a smartphone.

Full Mobile Photography results:

Second place went to Darya Gaevskaya with "Circle of Communication" — a breathtaking scene of whales in deep blue water that captures the grace and scale of these marine giants.

Nikolay Bashechkin earned third place with "This Amazing Underwater World!" — a blue-spotted ray emerging from a cloud of sand, shot with a DIVEVOLK housing.

The Special Mention went to Andrey Nosik for "Hasabella" — a dramatic silhouette of a diver exploring a sunken shipwreck, also shot with DIVEVOLK equipment.

DIVEVOLK Products on the Big Stage

The awards ceremony showcased DIVEVOLK products prominently. The Mobile Photography category screen displayed all three prizes — the SeaTouch 4 Max Platinum, the SeaTouch 4 MAX PLUS Advance Macro Kit, and the SeaTouch 4 Max Plus Ocean Kit — demonstrating the breadth of the SeaTouch ecosystem for underwater smartphone photography.

The Art category screen featured the DIVEVOLK SL20 Dive Light — a 2,000-lumen underwater video light that serves as both a powerful creative tool and a practical dive accessory. Explore the full range of DIVEVOLK dive lights to find the right lighting for your underwater photography.

All 8 Category Winners

Here are the gold winners across all UWPA 2026 categories:

Photographer of the Year: Mikhail Korostelev — the Russian underwater photographer earned recognition across multiple categories (Wide Angle 3rd, One Breath 2nd, Russia 1st), making him the most awarded photographer of the inaugural UWPA season.

Mobile Underwater Photography Goes Global

DIVEVOLK's sponsorship of UWPA follows its role as the exclusive Smartphone category sponsor at UPY (Underwater Photographer of the Year) 2026 — the world's most prestigious underwater photography competition — where the newly created Smartphone category attracted 78 photographers from 21 countries and Chinese photographer Jack Ho won the inaugural gold.

The trend is clear: smartphone underwater photography is no longer a curiosity. It's a recognized art form with dedicated competition categories, international participation, and image quality that challenges assumptions about what "professional" underwater photography looks like.

Whether you're a seasoned diver looking to simplify your camera setup or a beginner who wants to start capturing the underwater world without investing in expensive equipment, a smartphone in a quality underwater housing is now a proven path to competition-winning imagery.

Try It Yourself

Inspired by the UWPA winners? The same SeaTouch 4 Max kits that were awarded as prizes are available for every diver. Pair a housing with a lens attachment and a dive light, and you have a complete underwater photography system that fits in your BCD pocket.

For more underwater photography inspiration, tips, and competition news, visit our blog. Have questions about choosing the right setup? Contact us — we're happy to help.

Full competition results and jury information are available on the UWPA official website.