'Miracle' Underwater Bird Photo Wins 74th Annual Nikkor Photo Contest

Alongside the winners of the 52nd annual Nikon Small World Photomicrography competition, Nikon Japan also announced the winners of its 74th annual Nikkor Photo Contest.

The Japanese photography contest has run every year since 1953. The Nikkor Photo Contest is open to all Japanese photographers, amateur and professional alike, and includes numerous categories and some big prizes.

This year’s Grand Prix winner, Mayumi Takeuchi of Kanagawa, earned a 500,000 yen ($3,161) cash prize plus a Nikon Z8 camera body, a $4,300 camera.


Takeuchi captured this photo using a wide-angle lens, robust underwater housing, and a strobe. Takeuchi was less than a meter away from the booby underwater. The 74th Nikkor Photo Contest judges call the shot a “miracle.”

Alongside the Grand Prix winner, photographers competed across three categories, each with web and print sections. Each Gold Medal category web winner earned 300,000 yen, or nearly $1,900. Silver and Bronze winners earned 100,000 and 50,000 yen each.

Tokushima-based photographer Toru Shinohara bested 6,288 other photographers in the open category for their photo of a surfer.

Tatsuya Sato of Niigata earned the Silver Prize, while photographers Erika Iguchi, Junko Kato, and Mitsumasa Fujishita earned Bronze medals.

For a fantastic photo of two owls in flight, like mirror images, photographer Koichiro Ikeda of Fukuoka earned the Gold Prize in the Nature category. Nikon adds that Ikeda shot this photo with an 800mm super-telephoto lens.

Keiko Negishi won the Silver Prize, while photographers Masato Nakata, Yasuyuki Konishi, and Akira Sato each won a Bronze Prize.

Younger photographer Ryo Takano of Niigata won top honors in the Under 35 Web Category for their serene nighttime glacier landscape.

Minaho Imai won Silver, while Kumiko Takane, Go Marui, and Ryo Takase each won Bronze.

In the Print Division, photographers competed in an open category, nature, and then a category just for high school and junior high school students. The Print Division winners each received 100,000 yen.

Sanae Ono of Kanagawa won the open print competition, while Masaya Akamatsu got Silver.

Photographers Reiko Toki, Yoshiyasu Nagura, and Teruhiko Yono shared Bronze medals.

Tokyo photographer Rui Nagumo won the Nature print competition with an adorable squirrel portrait.

Norihiro Ikuma won Silver, and Ryo Omoto, Akira Sato, and Arihiro Saito won Bronze.

Student Akari Ogushi from Wakayama won the Gold Medal.

Yui Kawashima from Osaka took home the Silver Prize. Meanwhile, Koto Isomura, Shiori Tanaka, and Aoi Nakano each won Bronze for their prints.

A total of 824 students entered this year’s print competition.

Image creditsNikkor Photo Contest. Individual photographers are credited in the captions.