Ministry of Tourism, in association with Ocean Geographic and Maldives Alliance of Dive Operators (MADO), will be organising an Underwater Photo Competition to mark the Maldives Tourism Golden Year.
To help draw attention to this Global Heritage and a landmark achievement of the Maldives, MADO is supporting a health assessment photo competition to commemorate the Golden Jubilee Year in tourism of the Maldives. The one-day photo shoot-out called 50 Best Sites will take place on September 28 across 50 pre-selected signature dive sites of the Maldives, according to the tourism ministry.
The objective is to memorialise the unique underwater haven that the Maldives has to offer. The key intention is for the event to be an annual photo contest that will serve as a yearly health check of the reefs of Maldives and act as a platform for other conservation and sustainability projects in the future. Resorts, dive centers, dive schools, and safari boats are encouraged to register as official Reef Health Check Centres. Each Reef Health Check Centre may book up to two-time slots at one of the 50 pre-selected signature sites.
All competitors will be acknowledged with a Certificate of Achievement for contribution to the Coral Reef Health Assessment of the Maldives. Competitors must submit a portfolio of five pictures for each site, one wide angle of a reef scene, one close-up of a living coral, one picture of a fish species, and two others of their own choice. A winner, runner-up, and three honorable mentions will be awarded for pictures submitted for each dive site, totaling 250 winners across all 50 sites.
An international judging panel will preside over photograph selection. Prizes will be awarded to Winners and Runner-Ups. The first-place winners and runners-up will grant usage rights of their winning photos to the Reef Health Assessment Project and the tourism ministry for conservation and promotional purposes. Results will be announced live on October 5.
The Maldives comprises 1,192 islands grouped into 26 natural coral atolls and is renowned to harbour some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world.