Life among the reef 2024:
the winning shots!

The jury has announced the winners of the LIFE Pinna photography competition, “Life among the reef” 2024 edition. The selection process, which involved sorting through over one hundred entries, many of which were of outstanding technical quality and great naturalistic value, kept the jurors fully engaged. The images were evaluated without prior knowledge of the authors. The evaluation criteria included adherence to the contest theme (with priority given to species observable in the first few meters of water), the “difficulty” of the documented scene (uncommon species and specific behaviors), and the quality of the submitted file.

Here are the winners, along with the accompanying reasons.

FIRST PLACE
Guido Villani, for masterfully capturing in a single image the natural behavior of three such diverse and striking species: the painted dorid Felimare picta, the African blenny Parablennius pilicornis, and the colonial ascidian Botrylloides niger.

SECOND PLACE
Enrico Pompei
, for his “tornado” of ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo). This is an image of a common coastal species that nevertheless becomes spectacular due to the incredible density of fish.

THIRD PLACE
Stefano Cerbai
, winner of the 2023 edition, for beautifully capturing this small, colorful blenny Parablennius zvonimiri in its natural habitat. Despite being less than ten centimeters long and often going unnoticed, the photographer managed to showcase it magnificently.

The jurors also wished to highlight additional shots that are worthy of attention.

Daniela Munari, for her “diagonal” shot of the Atlantic crab (Percnon gibbesi), a symbol of alien species that, due to warming waters or ship transport, are progressively occupying new ecological niches in the Mediterranean after arriving from other latitudes and seas.

Santo Tirnetta, for capturing the reproductive behavior of the ocellated wrasse (Symphodus ocellatus), with two males in breeding colors confronting each other.

Gianpiero Liguori, for capturing a rather rare species in much of the Mediterranean, the two-spotted clingfish (Diplecogaster bimaculata), primarily observed in certain areas of the Strait of Messina.

Sebastian Farris, for his evocative and nostalgic shot taken in Sardinia, featuring a sand anemone (Condylactis aurantiaca) in a meadow of Caulerpa prolifera. In the background, the silhouette of a dead Pinna nobilis can be seen, where just a few years ago dozens of specimens of the large bivalve could be counted. It is precisely in this type of environment that living specimens can still be found, so it is the right place to attempt a ‘treasure hunt’ on this species. If you find live individuals, please report them in the ‘Report Pinna’ section!

Guido Villani, for his intriguing composition that highlights the relationship between four different species: a peacock blenny (Salaria pavo) beneath the gill tuft of a feather duster worm (Branchiomma boholense), among colonies of an ascidian (Distaplia bermudensis) and with the presence of hydroids.

Stefano Cerbai, for the play of colors and reflections in his portrait of luminous jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) just beneath the water’s surface. The vignetting at the edges of the image enhances its originality.

Filippo Fistarol, for his perfect “split” image, partially underwater and partially at the surface, featuring the sea gooseberry (Rhizostoma pulmo). Although it is a species associated with open waters, it was portrayed in relation to the coastline and this is what struck the jury.