Monterey Shootout 2026
by Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS) and Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo · Monterey, California
Entries closed
Results are out
- Closed 25 JUL
- Fee from $35
- At Monterey, California
You're viewing a past edition. See Monterey Shootout 2027 →
Key dates
Event starts
Final deadline
Ceremony
Event ends
Entry fees
| Full weekend pass (competition, cocktail party and seminars) | $35 |
|---|
Every competitor must buy the full weekend pass. The official site advertised the $35 price as an early-bird special; a later full price, if any, was not found.
Prizes
- gear
- dive trips
- other
The organiser's 2026 event coverage reports more than $50,000 in prizes (one passage says over $53,000). Winners pick prizes in order of a points ranking, and every entrant goes into a prize raffle.
Categories
Category list not verified yet — see the official rules.
Who can enter
- Open to
- Open to all
Entrants compete in Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced photo tiers based on dive experience and past competition wins (industry professionals must enter Advanced); the video category is open to all levels.
Rules at a glance
- AI-generated images
- Banned
Images must be captured by the entrant during the contest window within the Monterey Bay and Big Sur region, and split shots must be at least half underwater. Based on the 2025 entrant packets (2026 packets not found), entrants could submit up to six images with up to three per category; "Traditional" categories allow only global adjustments, while "Unrestricted" categories allow heavier editing but no generative AI.
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: official rules & terms (opens in a new tab).
Research notes
Registration and image drop-off took place at Backscatter in Monterey; seminars and the awards ceremony were held at Asilomar Conference Grounds on 26 July. The organiser reported more than 190 photographers. Contest hours ran from Friday 7:00 am to the Saturday 7:00 pm submission deadline. A 2026 judges list was not found.
Provenance
Verified · 5 sources
- Monterey Shootout — schedule (2026) (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
- Monterey Shootout — competition levels (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
- Monterey Shootout — 2026 event coverage and results (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
- Backscatter — Join us for the Monterey Shootout, July 24–26, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
- Monterey Shootout 2025 Advanced entrant packet (presented by NCUPS and Backscatter) (opens in a new tab) · accessed 2026-10-15
All editions
- Monterey Shootout 2027≈ late Jul 2027Expected
- Monterey Shootout 2026closed Sat 25 Jul 2026Results out Results (opens in a new tab)