Underwater photos dominated in the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2006, winning the overall prize, coming first in 4 and placing in further 4 of the 12 categories.

Goran Ehlme’s photo of a walrus feeding in the sediment was the overall winner and also won Animal Behaviour: Mammals category, taken in Greenland with a Nikon D2X, 12-24mm lens and a Seacam housing. Michael Aw won the Underwater World category with a mimic octopus swimming straight at the camera, taken in the Sulawesi with a Nikon D2X, 12-24mm lens and Seacam housing. Tibor Dombovari won the Animal Portraits category with a barracuda portrait taken in Papua New Guinea with a Nikon D70s, 12-24mm lens and Subal housing. Andre Seale won the Behaviour, All Other Animals category with a green turtle being cleaned by surgeonfish in Hawaii, taken with a Nikon D100, 12-24mm lens in a Nexus housing. Wetpixel members Gavin Parsons, Jordi Chias and Alex Mustard were highly commended.

Widely regarded as the most prestigious competition of its kind, each year it attracts around 20,000 entries from professional and amateur photographers from about 60 countries.