Dear participants, sponsors, and friends, We are proud to say that the 8th Mares Underwater Photo Marathon 2020 gathered a large number of competitors (437 competitors from 44 countries). This is a clear indication that we are growing and gathering more and more underwater photography enthusiasts. Throughout all these years, we have been trying to develop this competition through all of its segments (categories, prizes, sponsors, novelties, rules) and YOU have played a key role in making this happen with your kind and much appreciated advice, suggestions, and remarks. This year, the competition was very tough and that we had to make some difficult decisions in judging the photos. Unfortunately, some of the photos had to be disqualified because they were sent to the wrong category (fish/macro), some were more than 3 years old, and some had been manipulated too much through photoshop. As this competition grows year after year, all the photos that went into TOP 10 have been additionally checked to make sure that all the Mares UWPM Rules were followed. After closer examination, some photos could not be accepted as they did not comply with the clearly written rules. We have a responsibility, not only to our general sponsor Mares, but also to other sponsors and contestants to ensure fair play and well-deserved wins. With this in mind, we kindly ask all participants to help us maintain the integrity of this competition by respecting the rules and other contestants. We want to thank once again all our sponsors, partners, and jury members for all the hard work and effort they put into making Mares UWPM a respectable worldwide competition. We are very happy that we were able to continue with this competition, even in times of a global pandemic, and that together we made it happen – we made this year’s competition the best one yet! Many thanks to all the participants and congratulations to the winners of the 8th Mares UWPM 2020, we hope to see you soon. Unfortunately, due to the global pandemic, there will be no award ceremony this year. Lastly, please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in announcing the results. There was a lot of work that had to be done and we wanted to make sure that it is done properly. Thank you for all of your support and trust throughout the years!

Damir Zurub, director & Mares UWPM organizational team

Poštovani sudionici, sponzori i prijatelji, s ponosom možemo reći da je 8. Mares Underwater Photo Marathon 2020. okupio velik broj natjecatelja (437 natjecatelja iz 44 zemlje). Ovo je jasan pokazatelj da rastemo i okupljamo sve više ljubitelja podvodne fotografije. Kroz sve ove godine nastojali smo razvijati ovo natjecanje kroz sve njegove segmente (kategorije, nagrade, sponzori, novosti, pravila), a  ključnu ulogu da se to dogodi imali ste Vi s vašim savjetima, prijedlozima, i primjedbama. Konkurencija je ove godine bila žestoka i morali smo donijeti neke teške odluke u prosudbi fotografija. Nažalost, neke su fotografije morale biti diskvalificirane jer su poslane u pogrešnu kategoriju (riba / makro), neke su bile starije od 3 godine, a neke su previše manipulirane putem programa za obradu. Kako ovo natjecanje raste iz godine u godinu, sve fotografije koje su ušle u TOP 10 dodatno su provjerene kako bi se ispoštovala sva Mares UWPM pravila. Nakon detaljnijeg pregleda neke fotografije nisu mogle biti prihvaćene jer nisu u skladu s jasno napisanim pravilima. Odgovorni smo, ne samo prema našem generalnom sponzoru Maresu, već prema ostalim sponzorima i natjecateljima kako bismo osigurali fair-play i zaslužene pobjede. Imajući to u vidu, molimo sve sudionike da nam pomognu održati cjelovitost ovog natjecanja poštujući pravila i ostale natjecatelje. Želimo još jednom zahvaliti svim našim sponzorima, partnerima i članovima žirija za trud koji su uložili u to da Mares UWPM postane respektabilno svjetsko natjecanje. Sretni smo što smo uspjeli nastaviti s ovim natjecanjem, čak i u vrijeme globalne pandemije i da smo to zajedno ostvarili - ovogodišnje natjecanje najbolje je do sada! Veliko hvala svim sudionicima i čestitamo pobjednicima 8. Mares UWPM 2020. Nadamo se da ćemo se uskoro vidjeti. Nažalost, zbog globalne pandemije ove godine neće biti ceremonije dodjele nagrada. I na kraju, prihvatite našu ispriku zbog kašnjenja u objavi rezultata. Posla je bilo mnogo i morali smo ga obaviti kako treba. Zahvaljujemo za svu podršku i povjerenje kroz sve ove godine!

Damir Zurub, direktor i Mares UWPM organizacijski tim