Images to make visible the bottom of the Balearic and Mediterranean sea

More than 1.200 photographs have been presented in the fourth edition of the MARE contest, where 140 people of 11 different nationalities participated, in the categories of: juvenile, amateur and expert adults.

A total of 10,000 euros has been awarded in 30 prizes, divided into a cash prize for the Adult participation and underwater material for the Youth participation. In addition, the winning photographs will form part of the traveling exhibition that will tour the Balearic Islands during the year 2024. 

The MARE team assures that "this year's winning photographs show interactions between unusual species, artistic and sensitive photographs that show the diversity of organisms that surround us, the effects of increased nautical pressure on our coasts, such as abandoned boats, and the effect of fishing gear and waste in the sea". 

This year's awards ceremony was part of the Marine Forum programme, which featured Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and internationally renowned explorer, who reflected that "we know more about the surface of Mars than the bottom of the sea". This is precisely one of the aims of MARE: to bring to light what is hidden beneath the sea. "All the images in the competition make it possible to create a collective view of the sea around us. Thanks to all the participants - without your generosity we would not know what is hidden under the water", add the organizers of the competition.

Winning photographs 

Expert adult participation profile: "Atrapado" by Xavier Mas Ferrà (MARE Animalia); "Mar de Posidonia" by Sebastian Antonio Bota Ferragut (MARE Botanica); "Interacciones peligrosas" by Néstor Carda Aroca (MARE Denuncia); "Camino a la libertad" by Bartolomé Santandreu Borrás (MARE Sapiens) and "La màgia de La Foradada" by Paco Fernández Masero (MARE Nostrum, el Mediterráneo).

Profile of adult amateur participation: "Cap i cua" by Francesc Pera Baldomà (MARE Animalia); "Acetabularia" by Alex Morell (MARE Botanica); "Salta" by Jordi Cerdá Santacreu (MARE Sapiens); "Final de viaje" by Ainhoa Ezkurra (MARE Denuncia) and "La Cápsula del Tiempo" by Javier Martin Parejo (MARE Nostrum, el Mediterráneo).  

Youth participation profile: Adrià Mas Escandell (15 years old), Joan Sans Tous (12 years old) and Lluna Mas Escandell (13 years old).  

Honourable Mention Marine Protected Areas: "Lobos de mar" by Vicente Planells Ramon; "Disfrutant de la Mediterrània" by Xavier Mas Ferrà and "Pez Golondrina" by Manel Robert Lora. For the Honourable MentionElasmobranquios (sharks and rays) were awarded: "Los últimos Guitarras" by Julio Martínez; "Tintorera" by Marc Casanovas Felix and "Descanso del cazador nocturno" by Javier Atero Cano.

MARE Popularis: The public prize category is a new addition this year and has been very well received. The photograph that received the most votes (a total of 209) was "Saturday Night Fever" by Miquel Gomila. 

The jury for the fourth edition included Nuria Marbà, a leading scientist and expert on the Balearic marine environment, Carlos Minguell, a leading underwater photographer, and Jean Marie del Moral, an internationally renowned photographer with a career spanning more than four decades. The images have been selected according to criteria of photographic quality, originality, fidelity to reality and ability to connect with the viewer.