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British & Irish Underwater Photography Championship

BIUPC 2026 · by British Society of Underwater Photographers (BSoUP) (opens in a new tab)

Expected deadline

late Aug 2026

Estimated from the previous edition

  • Closed ≈ LATE AUG 2026
  • Cats 3
Add to calendar Official site (opens in a new tab) Results (opens in a new tab)

BSoUP's one-day championship in which entrants shoot, process and submit images taken anywhere in UK and Irish waters within a 24-hour window, competing for the Peter Scoones trophy.

Key dates

These dates are estimated from the previous edition — the organiser hasn't announced them yet. We'll confirm them as soon as they do.

  1. Entries open

    late Aug 2026

  2. Final deadline

    late Aug 2026

  3. Results

    Sep 2026

Entry fees

We haven't been able to verify the fees yet.

Prizes

Prize details not verified yet.

Categories

  • Wide-angle

    Wide-angle

  • Close-up

    Close-up

  • Human impact on the environment

    Conservation

    Restriction: Optional third image, on top of the two main-competition images.

Who can enter

Open to
Open to all
Where
Images must be taken in UK or Irish waters.
Entry limit
3 per person

Two images in the main competition, plus a third if you also enter the human impact category. Open to non-members.

Rules at a glance

Not summarised yet — check the official rules.

Your image rights

We haven't summarised the licence terms for this edition yet.

This is our plain-language summary, not legal advice. Read the official terms before entering.

Judges

  • Paul Colley · Judge (UK)
  • Ivan Donoghue · Judge (Ireland)

Research notes

This edition has already taken place, but its exact date could not be verified, so the window is an estimate based on 2025. It was moved back one day from the plain one-year shift so that it stays a Friday 10pm to Saturday 10pm window, as the rules describe. BSoUP's 2026 archive lists the BIUPC under September, so the real date may be early September. Results are confirmed - Mark O'Leary (Ireland) won overall with a wide-angle dolphin image, John Gillies won close-up and Jon Bunker won human impact; 29 photographers entered 78 images (Scubaverse, about 16 September 2026). The judges are named on BSoUP's championship page. Replace the dates once BSoUP's 2026 dates are confirmed.

Provenance

Verified · 6 sources

  1. BSoUP - BIUPC (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
  2. BSoUP - BIUPC rules (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
  3. BSoUP - camera set-up and image submission (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
  4. BSoUP - BIUPC awards (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
  5. Scubaverse - Mark O'Leary crowned BIUPC 2026 champion (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
  6. BSoUP - Competition archive 2026 (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15

All editions

  1. BIUPC 2026≈ late Aug 2026Results out2 judges Results (opens in a new tab)
  2. BIUPC 2025closed Sat 30 Aug 2025Results out Results (opens in a new tab)