Judging the Through Your Lens photo contest is one of our favorite parts of the year at Scuba Diving — but it’s also one of the most challenging. For the 2017 contest, we sifted through more than 2,500 awesome entries to find the best of the best in underwater photography. We wanted to highlight some of our favorite images that didn’t make the winner’s circle, but that blew us away nonetheless. Nudibranchs can be some of the tiniest and most elusive sea creatures, but our entrants did an awesome job capturing them in phenomenal ways. Here are our favorite nudi shots from the 2017 contest.

See the 2017 winners here. The 2018 Through Your Lens photo contest is currently accepting entries. Learn more about the image categories and prizes here.

This nudibranch was caught changing colors on algae at night.

Shaun the Sheep nudibranchs are sometimes green from grazing on algae, and they store chloroplasts in their bodies. They are one of the only animals that photosynthesize.

Shaun the Sheep nudibranchs (Stiliger ornatus) only grow to 5mm in length. Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia, is a great place to see them.

The Dendrodoris limbata sea slug is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea.

Cyerce nigricans sometimes resemble butterflies.

Trinchesia Yamasui are widespread throughout Indonesia. This one was spotted off Bolsel, North Sulawesi.

Nudibranchs are some of the most alien-like creatures of the underwater world.

This species of nudibranch is the most common in Rio de Janeiro's dive sites, but it does not diminish its beauty.

Nudibranchs detect chemical signals through their antenna-like appendages called rhinopores. They act as the animal’s nose.

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