Northern Beaches Council is delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Underwater Photography Competition, now in its fifth year, shining a spotlight on the extraordinary talent and passion within the local community.
This year’s overall winner, and proud recipient of the prestigious Valerie Taylor Award for Excellence, is Nicole Sroba for her evocative image, Hooked. This Award recognises a long-time Manly resident who has a lifelong passion for the ocean, ocean conservation and a love of underwater photography.
Judges praised Nicole’s work, stating: This year’s theme – Wonder: sustaining what sustains us – is powerfully reflected in this image from North Harbour Aquatic Reserve. A vulnerable grey nurse shark glides through shafts of light, trailing fishing lines. Framed by pylons, the composition evokes both beauty and concern.
Over 950 people expressed their view on the People’s Choice Award with the outstanding winner being Xina Hudson for her image, Living Shield.
Mayor Sue Heins congratulated Nicole, Xina and all participants, saying,
“It’s inspiring to see so many locals and visitors sharing their unique perspectives of our coastline.
“Congratulations to all our entrants, finalists and winners. Your passion for our local waters is clear in every image.
“The calibre of entries this year was truly outstanding, and Nicole’s work reminds us how precious and spectacular our marine life really is.
“Competitions like this highlight the community’s deep connection to our natural environment and the importance of protecting it for future generations.”
The competition encourages amateur and professional photographers of all ages and backgrounds to capture the beauty and diversity found at the stunning 5 Aquatic Reserves on the Northern Beaches, with a $4,000 prize pool on offer.
Everyone is invited to explore these remarkable images, including Nicole’s award-winning Hooked and Xina’s popular choice Living Shield on Council’s website or in person at Belgrave Cartel, Manly exhibition from Sunday 30 November - Sunday 7 December 2025.
Overall - Valerie Taylor Underwater Photography Award for Excellence 2025
Winner
Nicole Sroba (Hooked)
Winners in the 8 categories are:
1. Behaviour: Capturing natural behaviour of marine life.
Winner
Peter Hutchins (The Chase)
Runner Up
Taj Burrows (Face Off)
High Commended
Xina Hudson (Living Shield)
2. Macro: Getting up close to the subject matter.
Winner
Alexander Gunter (Wandering Sea Anemone)
Runner Up
Teya McEwan (Camouflage with a grin)
Highly Commended
Taj Burrows (The Waiting Game)
3. Threatened Species: Portraying the vulnerability of a threatened species found, for example: black rod cod, grey nurse shark, green turtle.
Winner
Nicole Sroba (Hooked)
Runner Up
Lesley Spencer (Wondrous Weedy Wanderings)
Highly Commended
Eddy Price (One of these things is not like the other)
4. Human Connection: Capturing the positive or negative connection between a person(s) and marine life (flora / fauna / megafauna). This could include monitoring citizen science projects or research undertaken in one of the Northern Beaches aquatic reserves.
Winner
David Bellas (Reaching Out)
Runner Up
Peter Hutchins (Wings of Resilience)
Highly Commended
Alana Abercrombie (Cuttlefish Paparazzi)
5. Seascapes: (wide angle): Capturing the raw beauty of the underwater vista in one of the Northern Beaches aquatic reserves.
Winner
David Bellas (Cuttlefish Pursuit)
Runner Up
Mark Endres (Ghost Fleet)
Highly Commended
Strath Clarke (Cruising)
6. Youth: For the budding young photographers aged 12 to 17 years old.
Winner – Underwater Youth Photographer of the year 2025
Emily Sonter (A Dazzling Display)
Runner Up
Raphael Hampartzoumian (Eye to Eye)
Highly Commended
Evelyn Christopher (Hide and Seek)
7. Reels: Capturing the wonder of the biodiversity in our underwater world. Reel length is 15 to 30 seconds duration.
Youth Reels (12 to 17 years)
Winner
Jesse Loffel (The Usual Suspect)
Runner Up
Ezra Boulton (Usual Fish Different Location)
Highly Commended
Otto Lourecco (Stop Bugging Me)
Open Reels (18+ years)
Winner
Emilie Pettersson (Belonging)
Runner Up
Lauren Elder (Strike a Pose)
Highly Commended
Kim Dunbar (Locals of Cabbage Tree Bay)
8. People’s Choice - Voted online
Xina Hudson (Living Shield)
Judges included Katherine Roberts – Senior Curator at the Manly Art Gallery & Museum, Peter McGee – a multi award winning local nature and underwater photographer, SCUBA diver and conservationist and avid diver and distinguished underwater photographer, Jayne Jenkins.
Image (Hooked): please credit Nicole Sroba/Northern Beaches Council
Image (Living shield) Xina Hudson/Northern Beaches Council
For more information and to view the winning entries, visit our website.