Winners of North Carolina Aquarium's 2008 Underwater Photo Contest

By Amy Kilgore

Kure Beach, NC - The North Carolina Aquariums 2008 Underwater Photo Contest brought in a wave of stunning deep-sea scenery, featuring creatures ranging in size from tiny octocorals to giant sunfish.

The Aquariums sponsor the annual competition for amateur and non-professional photographers to highlight the state’s diverse aquatic life. Images from the waters off North Carolina’s coast or within the state’s freshwater system can be entered in two categories: Underwater Open for wide-angle scenes or Underwater Close-ups. Photos taken at the three North Carolina Aquariums – at Fort Fisher, at Pine Knoll Shores and on Roanoke Island – can compete in the Aquatic Life in the Aquariums category.

Sandy Smith of Duncansville, PA won big this year, taking first in the Open category with a photo of a moray eel, and also first in Close-ups with an image of a crab on a jellyfish. Second in the Open category went to John Thompson of San Antonio, TX for his barracuda shot; third to Jim Smith of Duncansville, PA for his loggerhead turtle, and an honorable mention went to Alex Wazlak of Virginia Beach, VA for an image of a diver with a giant sunfish. 

Lee Moore of Atlantic Beach took second in the Close-ups division with an anemone image; Jim Smith of Duncansville, PA won third with a flounder photo; and Julep Gillman-Bryan of Wilmington earned an honorable mention with her macro of blue octocorals.

The North Carolina Aquariums offer ample photo opportunities, with thousands of animals and dozens of exhibits, for the Aquatic Life in the Aquariums category. A hermit crab at Fort Fisher grabbed Amanda Casey of Richmond, VA first place in this category for 2008. Karen Doody of Morehead City won second and third places with koi at Pine Knoll Shores and a tree frog at Fort Fisher, respectively. An image of Roanoke Island’s river otters earned Vinny Pasquarelli of Chesapeake, VA an honorable mention.

Cash prizes of $500 for first, $200 for second, $100 for third and $50 for honorable mention were awarded to the winners of each category. East Carolina Bank sponsored the contest. Dec. 31 is the deadline for entry each year – watch the Aquariums' website for details on how to enter the 2009 contest.

The three North Carolina Aquariums, under the N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, share the mission, “inspiring appreciation and conservation of North Carolina’s aquatic environments.” The Aquariums are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for ages 62 and over and $6 for ages 6-17. Children 5 and under and North Carolina Aquarium Society members are admitted free. Visit www.ncaquariums.com for more information.

NORTH·CAROLINA
AQUARIUMS

3125 Poplarwood Court, Suite 160, Raleigh, NC 27604 · (919) 877-5500 · Fax: (919) 981-5224 · ncaquariums.com
David R. Griffin, Director

Department of Environment and Natural Resources ? Beverly Eaves Perdue, Governor ? Dee Freeman, Secretary