EVENT COVERAGE 2026 | LITTLE CAYMAN
OUR FRIENDLY COMPETITION
While the Shootout is a learning event with emphasis on improving underwater shooting and editing techniques, the event organizers, Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo and Under Exposures, manage to gather some very cool prizes to give away in the friendly competition. Regardless of whether or not your images won a prize, congratulations to all of this year’s participants for your hard work and improvement shown during the Shootout! Each of you created captivating, artistic ocean images to be proud of, and you are all winners!
JIM WATT AWARD
Jim Watt was more than a friend to the Shootout. He was a living example of our mission statement. Jim was one of the first professional underwater photographers to adopt digital photography and was thrilled to share all his shooting secrets with first time shooters or fellow professional photographers. His passion and skill in creating new images was infectious and inspired hundreds of Digital Shootout guests over the years. Our Best of Show image is honored with the Jim Watt Award of excellence.
Prize for JIM WATT AWARD
11 Night Trip for 1 to Komodo on the Pindito – $6,400
WINNERS – WIDE ANGLE TRADITIONAL
1st Place – Wide Angle Traditional – John Obremski 2nd Place – Wide Angle Traditional – Ken Sutherland 3rd Place – Wide Angle Traditional – Ken Sutherland HM1 – Wide Angle Traditional – Chef Anton
Prizes for WIDE ANGLE TRADITIONAL
$7,000
$5,000
$2,300
$1,000
WINNERS – WIDE ANGLE UNRESTRICTED
1st Place – Wide Angle Unrestricted – John Obremski 2nd Place – Wide Angle Unrestricted – Eric Wahl 3rd Place – Wide Angle Unrestricted – Chef Anton
Prizes for WIDE ANGLE UNRESTRICTED
$5,000
Dumaguete
$4,000
$1,000
WINNERS – MACRO TRADITIONAL
1st Place – Macro Traditional – Josh Comay 2nd Place – Macro Traditional – Ange Pirner 3rd Place – Macro Traditional – David Blackburn HM1 – Macro Traditional – Ian Ross
Prizes for Macro TRADITIONAL
$6,350
$2,400
$1,500
$1,500
WINNERS – MACRO UNRESTRICTED
1st Place – Macro Unrestricted – Eric Wahl 2nd Place – Macro Unrestricted – Blair Whitaker 3rd Place – Macro Unrestricted – Richard VonFeldt HM1 – Macro Unrestricted – Vin Malkoski
Prizes for Macro Unrestricted
$3,500
$1,800
$1,200
$1,000
WINNERS – COMPACT
1st Place – Compact – Brian Sprague 3rd Place – Compact – Dawn Gillespie
Prizes for COMPACT
dives, 18 total
$2,500
$1,500
$950
Please enjoy the underwater views from behind the lenses of this year’s participants in the other submitted videos and all-submitted images slideshow. A very special THANK YOU to all of our prize sponsors for your generosity and support of The Digital Shootout – we couldn’t do it without you!
JOIN US AT THE 2027 DIGITAL SHOOTOUT IN LITTLE CAYMAN!
Hope to see you at next year’s Shootout at Little Cayman Beach Resort!
The Digital Shootout has always had a Share-the-Wealth policy for the incredible prizes awarded. Those whose talent and good fortune allowed them to win, place or show in more than one category will certainly be recognized for their achievements; however, only the one favorite prize can be taken home, with the others going into the all-entries raffle. Winners that were ambitious enough to compete in both photo and video can keep their favorite prize selected from both the photo and video contest.
The judging panel – Berkley White, Hergen Spalink, Todd Winner, Erin Quigley, Joel Penner, Jen Penner, Cristian Dimitrius and Dan Baldocchi – used the criteria “Would I share this video with my friends?” for the social media quick story (20 second duration or less) and the cinematic short story (2 minute duration or less). For still images, “Would I hang this photo on my wall?” was the guideline for judging hundreds of images over 5 categories.
