FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A Pixel is Worth a Thousand Words

University of Miami Rosenstiel School Hosts Annual Underwater Photography Contest

Virginia Key (March 4, 2008) — The University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science is now accepting entries for its annual underwater photography contest with a deadline of March 31, 2008. Entry forms are available on the Web at http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/support/advancement/uw-2008.

The contest is divided into three categories: 1) Fish or Marine Animal Portrait, 2) Macro, and 3) Wide Angle photography. The School will also recognize the best UM student submission and Best Overall submission. Top prize is a trip on Blackbeard's Cruises, departing from Freeport, Bahamas, and $300. The top student entry will win $150. Additionally, the contest will recognize 1st, 2nd and 3rd place submissions for each category with monetary awards. (Trip prizes do not include gratuities, port taxes, Bahamas Underwater National Park Fees, gear rental, etc., and are subject to availability.)

The Rosenstiel School Underwater Photography Contest is open to all amateur photographers who earn no more than 20 percent of their income from their photography. Eligible photos must not have been published or accepted for publication and must be the original work of the submitter. No pool or aquarium shots will be accepted.

A team of professional photographers and marine scientists will judge the entries, and winners will be announced during Rosenstiel School's Sea Secrets Lecture Series event on Wednesday, April 16 at 6 p.m. at the Rosenstiel School, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway. Dr. Michael Schmale, award-winning underwater photographer and professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the Rosenstiel School, will share his eye-popping photographs from numerous voyages to the reefs of Indonesia and neighboring regions in a lecture entitled “Light and Color on Coral Reefs.” Schmale will share how color and the diversity of species relate to the lifestyles of reef animals, how they see, and the importance of light in the marine environment.

The Sea Secrets lecture is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.  A reception to recognize contest winners will take place after the lecture in the library at approximately 7:30 p.m. For more information about the photography contest rules, please refer to the contest Web site at: http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/support/advancement/uw-2008/

Media Contact:
Barbra Gonzalez, Communications Director
Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science
305.421.4704
barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu