NEW Temple of the Sun

Coutesy Shawn Heinrichs

New York, NY, Feb. 25, 2014 - A BlueSphere Foundation featured artist, Shawn Heinrichs, was awarded first place by underwatercompetition.com for his stunning underwater photo, Temple of the Sun. The Gold Medal honor was earned in the "Commercial, Conceptual & Fashion" category and presented at the Our World Underwater film festival in Chicago earlier this month.

Heinrichs — who also was honored in 2011 as Scuba Diving magazine's Sea Hero of the Year — captured this breathtaking scene during a BlueSphere Foundation-sponsored trip to the Kingdom of Tonga in September 2013 to shoot Betrayal, a cinematic documentary short developed to raise awareness of the plight of the humpback whale. The underwater model pictured in Temple of the Sun is Hannah Fraser, who has worked with BlueSphere on many such exciting photography and cinematography projects.

"We congratulate Shawn for his continued success with this outstanding photograph and his ongoing efforts to utilize this medium to bring awareness to marine conservation issues," commented Chip D'Angelo, founder of the BlueSphere Foundation. "I am personally pleased, as it was exciting to be in 'Swallows Cave' with Shawn and Hannah when this photo was shot."

About BlueSphere Foundation

BlueSphere Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the support and production of artistic projects that raise awareness, foster education and inspire action to address pressing conservation issues in the global marine environment.

BlueSphere Foundation believes art is an essential tool in halting the destruction of threatened marine species and habitats, and supports artists to create projects that connect people to globally important issues and inspire action.

For more information, please contact Brooke Berry, executive director of the BlueSphere Foundation, at (312) 613-0686 or brooke@bluespherefoundation.org

Visit BlueSphere Foundation at www.bluespherefoundation.org