The cards have been submitted, the images selected and the diving gear packed away. The fate of the teams and contestants now lies in the hands-off the judging panel. The teams have all completed dives on each of the four selected sites. Here is what happened today…

Another early start saw all the competitors descend on the Club Navale. The contest is working like a well oiled machine, with the formatting of memory cards and sealing of housings being done swiftly and efficiently.

Today is the final day for the contestants to capture images or video to enter into the contest. To some extent, the pressure is really mounting on them to “come up with the goods”. Given that the contest is an individual, team and international event, the pressure to do well is very high.

Due to high tides producing strong currents, the boat departures were staggered, with the video contestants leaving after the photographers. In fact, one of the sites proved impossible to use, due to the current, and the organisers had to use a contingency site.

These mishaps show that despite excellent planning, the “sea always wins.” What was great to observe was that the contestants very much took these challenges in their stride and were able to adjust her plans to cope with them.

It was also notable how good hundred and positive they all were too. Perhaps the nature of team based photos style events involves accepting the fact that dive sites are simply what they are and trying to use vision and skill to work with the elements available.

All the team completed two dives without mishap and now familiar process of handing in their memory cards began.

Like image makers everywhere, they all spent lots of time talking about equipment!

Once agin, it is important to stress the role that support team played in the success of the event. Pedro Vasconcelos has garnered support from a multitude of people from Portugal, Madeira and Porto Santo, who have worked tirelessly to make the contest safe, efficient fair and successful.

The process from then is that the cards are downloaded and each contestants images are placed in a folder. These folders are then shared with them, and in collaboration with their team captains and fellow team mates, they chose which of their images to enter.

It is slightly different for the video categories. As they are producing short films they have been allocated 8 hours of editing and rendering time. Prior to the deadline, they had to edit and prepare the films in the contes’s specified format.

Having done so, the organisers distribute their selected images to the judging panels. My understanding is that Kerim and Cenk complete this process at 0430 this morning!

Both the Heads of the judging panels are here in Porto Santo. Renee Grinnell Capozzola is the head of the judging panel and Julie Ouimet heads up the video panel. The other judges receive the images online and submit their scores back to Renee and Julie.

The results will be announced tomorrow at an awards ceremony, before a gala dinner here in the hotel. We will bring the results and inevitable goings on at the party to everyone here on Wetpixel!

Pre-Competition Warm Up
Day 1: Registration and Parades
Day 2: Dress Rehearsal
Day 3: Contest day one
Day 4: Contest day two
Still Image Results
Video Results
Awards ceremonies and celebrations