Thanks for the responses guys. Far be it from me to question the LAUPS, they have been promoting UW photography since Neptune was a boy. I have a great deal of respect for what they have accomplished. In thinking about it I guess I'm questioning my own understanding of what makes a great image, not the judges.
It is Art and so by it's nature very subjective, so maybe I should leave it there. But I've been thinking of promoting a small photo competition at my local dive shop to help get more folks fired up about UW photography. I haven't been able to find any posted criteria that images are judged on. Are there criteria for the LAUPS and/or Wetpixel competitions that I have missed, other than don't show images of harrassment? I can also see that criteria would scare some folks, "Don't throttle the creativity!" Any thoughts?
Steve
There is just so much going on in judging photographs...many, many variables. AFAIK, the judges are simply asked to pick (in their opinions) the best images. (Of course, harrassment, feeding, obvious manipulation, etc. are verbotten.)
Images should be technically perfect - proper exposure, focus, etc. (some wiggle room here, eg. the eye must be in focus...etc.) Technical flaws will almost always result in an image being rejected.
How well does the image fit into the category?
Is the subject rare, unusual? (extra points). Remember, not too long ago, when a picture of a pygmy seahorse was rare?
Composition (rule of thirds, etc.).
Color (often overlooked, bright colors capture more attention).
The judges must agree; come to a consensus.
If you go to the LAUPS website and click on the International Results for the past several years, you can view the judges' comments. Here's what they had to say in 2005:
"Judges' Comments
Still Entries:
Overall, the judges said that they were impressed with the high quality of the images. They were particularly impressed with the macro category. The judges felt that in today's competitions, if you want to have an image that will stand out and has a good chance to place, enter a very good Wide Angle image. The field is much more competitive in macro.
In judging macro especially, the judges said that due to the very competitive field, they had to eliminate images with any technical flaws. Images had to be in sharp focus, (especially the eyes), with excellent composition, lighting and minimal or no backscatter. The degree of difficulty and impact of the images were often the tie breaker factors.
With digital becoming more dominant, it is very important that entrants not over process their images. Even though Photoshop allows photographers to adjust images, nothing replaces a properly exposed, well-composed image. Unfortunately over saturation and over sharpening can and does detract from a good image.
Don't compete with yourself. If you have more than one image of the same subject, select the best one and enter that. There were several images that were repeats of the same subject and it was clear that they were taken by the same photographer.
When entering prints, evaluate the paper stock you select to enhance your image. e.g. B/W images tend to look better on a matte or satin finish; a striking image might best be printed on a high gloss.
The rarity of your subject should not be of great importance when submitting entries. A common subject with impact and technical perfection will win over a rare, but mediocre image.
Your subject needs room to swim into. (Nose room). Don't have the face, nose, snout, etc. of your subject near the edge of the image.
There were a lot of entries with very unusual or exciting subjects that were eliminated because of technical flaws.
Be very selective about photographing divers. In more instances than not, the presence of a diver in an image will hurt rather than help it.
Especially for novice and intermediate divers; select one style of photography and equipment and master it, rather than try to take macro, wide angle, available light, close focus wide angle, etc. styles, all at one time.
For animal portraits, eye contact is essential. Try to shoot from the animal's 'viewpoint'. e.g. shots of the back of animal, (or worse) the tail of an animal, looking down are less desirable.
Again this year the judges felt that that overall the quality of photographic work in this competition was impressive and the number and quality of entries exceeds most other contests in which they have had past involvement.
As in past competitions, technical deficiencies caused the immediate downgrading of images. These deficiencies included over-exposure, fuzzy focus, and depth of field where important, backscatter, positioning of subject, etc. The primary positive element for images to make the final cut was IMPACT. Image quality, interesting lighting, composition and unique perspective all play a part in an impactful image."
[Like the Supreme Court Justice who said, "I can't define pornography, but I know it when I see it!"]
Who judges these contests? No disrespect intended, they are all nice and I'd love to be able to claim any of them, but there are some obvious (to me) questions here. Seriously, how does the judging work in these bigger contests? 
