FOURTH INTERNATIONAL
UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
PROTEUS 2025 – VARNA – BULGARIA

The photo salon was realized with the financial support of the Bulgarian National Association for Underwater Activities.

THE JURY

Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto

was born in Verona in 1988. From a young age, her fascination with the ocean led her to practice various water sports, nurturing a deep connection with the underwater world. In 2021, she began her journey into underwater photography, driven by the desire to portray the hypnotic beauty of life beneath the surface. From her very first shots, Ilaria received recognition in major international competitions, including Ocean Art, MyShot, UPY (Underwater Photographer of the Year), Mare, Proteus, OG. Picoty, Asferico, IBC Photo Awards, Galathea, World Nature Photography Awards, Memorial Maria Luisa, and VIEPA. In 2024, she was awarded the prestigious Og. Picoty as Emerging Photographer of the Year. A vital energy that continuously draws her back into nature, where her love for the living world renews itself with every new vision and story.

Martin Hristov

was born and lives in Varna, Bulgaria. He has been dedicated to underwater photography since 2007.
His images have won awards at numerous international competitions, among them: Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year, World Shootout – Eilat, Underwater Photography Competition, Jailolo, Indonesia, UW Photo Competition, Raja Ampat – West Papua, Marmara Underwater Photo & Video Festival, International Underwater Photography Salon PROTEY 2021. Martin’s work has been published in both Bulgarian and international specialized print and online media, including Diving.bg, Pod Voda, Ocean Geographic, Scuba Diving Magazine, and Scuba Diver Australasia + OceanPlanet. He has held several solo exhibitions in Bulgaria—in Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna—and has also participated in numerous group exhibitions.

Todor Dimitrov

was born and lives in Bulgaria’s maritime capital, Varna. He grew up in constant contact with the sea, which gave him the opportunity to observe and explore the underwater beauty of the Black Sea. In his spare time, he practices freediving and underwater photography.
Through his photography, Todor aims to showcase the underwater world from fresh and unique perspectives, using innovative approaches and various creative techniques. His favorite subjects to capture are underwater panoramas and split-level compositions.
In recent years, he has been awarded numerous prizes in international photography competitions, and his work has been published in a variety of national and international magazines and websites.

Yazan Alsaad

born and raised in Aqaba, Jordan. Diver since 1993 and Started working in the diving indistry in 1996 until today. Durig these years I learned lot about underwater photography and steadily improved my photo skills.
Over the past few years, I have successfully participated in international underwater photography championships with several awards.

Brett Stanley

is underwater photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Brett is renowned for his creative underwater portrait work and has made a name for himself as an innovative photographer. He specialises in creating unique underwater sets for his clients to play in, stretching the imaginations of his viewers, and challenging the technology available to bring these worlds to life. His images have been seen and published world wide, in magazines and album covers, and even a many awards.

Julian Nedev

a founder and organizer (without the right to vote in the jury) of First International Underwater Competition and Print Salon in Bulgaria “Proteus” Varna. Graduate art – photographer. CMAS underwater photography instructor. Member of the Association of Advertising Photographers. Member of the Photographic Academy – Bulgaria. A master photographer with the National Chamber of Crafts, Bulgaria. He has won many prizes in international competitions for underwater photography. There are 39 solo exhibitions, 23 of which are underwater. Since 1996 the first one in Bulgaria is implementing underwater projects with models. His father, he is one of the first underwater photographers in Bulgaria.