New Zealand’s Jeremy Ward has been named the overall winner of the UIM 2025 Photo Competition, with his image from the UIM Circuit Jet Sprint World Championship at Wanganui in February selected above all other category winners by the competition’s judges.
The competition, run by the Union Internationale Motonautique, attracted entries across seven categories covering the full range of UIM-sanctioned disciplines. France’s Mike Magnin and Czech Republic’s Lukáš Gric were the standout performers beyond Ward, each dominating their respective specialist categories.
Overall Winner
Ward’s winning image was taken at the UIM Circuit Jet Sprint World Championship in Wanganui, New Zealand on February 1-2, 2025. It also claimed gold in the Circuit category.
Aquabike Category
Mike Magnin of France claimed both gold and silver in the Aquabike category, with his aerial shot from Torre dell’Orso the standout image. Italy’s Simon Palfrader took bronze with a photograph from the Grand Prix of Qatar.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Mike Magnin | France | UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship, GP of Puglia, Torre dell’Orso — September 26-28, 2025 |
| Silver | Mike Magnin | France | UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship, GP of Puglia, Torre dell’Orso — September 26-28, 2025 |
| Bronze | Simon Palfrader | Italy | UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship, GP of Qatar, Doha — October 30-November 1, 2025 |
Atmosphere Category
Magnin again took gold in the Atmosphere category, this time with an image from the UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship at Gyor, Hungary. Palfrader added silver from Qatar, while Poland’s Katarzyna Bak claimed bronze with a shot from Puglia.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Mike Magnin | France | UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship, GP of Hungary, Gyor — August 1-3, 2025 |
| Silver | Simon Palfrader | Italy | UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship, GP of Qatar, Doha — October 30-November 1, 2025 |
| Bronze | Katarzyna Bak | Poland | UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship, GP of Puglia, Torre dell’Orso — September 26-28, 2025 |
Circuit Category
Ward took gold in the Circuit category with the same image that secured the overall title. His silver was also shot at Wanganui, while Italy’s Palfrader claimed bronze with a photograph from the UIM F1H2O World Championship at Sharjah in December.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Jeremy Ward | New Zealand | UIM Circuit Jet Sprint World Championship, Wanganui — February 1-2, 2025 |
| Silver | Jeremy Ward | New Zealand | UIM Circuit Jet Sprint World Championship, Wanganui — February 1-2, 2025 |
| Bronze | Simon Palfrader | Italy | UIM F1H2O World Championship, GP of Sharjah, UAE — December 19-21, 2025 |
MotoSurf Category
Czech Republic’s Lukáš Gric was the dominant force in the MotoSurf category, claiming gold from the Grand Prix of Croatia at Zadar and silver from the Grand Prix of Turkey at Çeşme. Compatriot Vaclav Cap took bronze with an image from the Grand Prix of China Macau.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Lukáš Gric | Czech Republic | UIM MotoSurf World Championship, GP of Croatia, Zadar — October 10-12, 2025 |
| Silver | Lukáš Gric | Czech Republic | UIM MotoSurf World Championship, GP of Turkey, Çeşme — June 20-22, 2025 |
| Bronze | Vaclav Cap | Czech Republic | UIM MotoSurf World Championship, GP of China Macau, Macao — November 21-23, 2025 |
Offshore Category
Malta’s Claude Sammut took gold in the Offshore category with an image from the UIM European Championship Offshore Class 3D at Trani, Italy. Kuwait’s Mohammad AlMatrook claimed both silver and bronze with photographs from the XCAT World Championship at Salmiya.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Claude Sammut | Malta | UIM European Championship, Offshore Class 3D, Trani, Italy — June 5-8, 2025 |
| Silver | Mohammad AlMatrook | Kuwait | UIM XCAT World Championship, Salmiya, Kuwait — November 20-22, 2025 |
| Bronze | Mohammad AlMatrook | Kuwait | UIM XCAT World Championship, Salmiya, Kuwait — November 20-22, 2025 |
Open Category
Ward made the Open category entirely his own, taking gold, silver, and bronze. His gold came from the New Zealand Jetsprint Championship at Wanganui on February 23, with both remaining medals from the Masport Cup at Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel, on March 28.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Jeremy Ward | New Zealand | New Zealand Jetsprint Championship, Wanganui — February 23, 2025 |
| Silver | Jeremy Ward | New Zealand | Masport Cup, Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel — March 28, 2025 |
| Bronze | Jeremy Ward | New Zealand | Masport Cup, Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel — March 28, 2025 |
Retouched Category
Magnin swept the Retouched category, claiming all three medals with images from the UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship at Mira, Portugal. The gold-winning image — a golden-hour shot of an aquabike at speed on the Mondego river — was the standout among the three.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Mike Magnin | France | UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship, GP of Mira, Portugal — July 4-6, 2025 |
| Silver | Mike Magnin | France | UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship, GP of Mira, Portugal — July 4-6, 2025 |
| Bronze | Mike Magnin | France | UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship, GP of Mira, Portugal — July 4-6, 2025 |
Young Category
Gric claimed gold and silver in the Young category, adding to his MotoSurf haul with two images from the Grand Prix of Turkey at Çeşme. Italy’s Laura Bettinardi took bronze with a photograph from the UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship at Vichy, France.
| Position | Photographer | Country | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Lukáš Gric | Czech Republic | UIM MotoSurf World Championship, GP of Turkey, Çeşme — June 20-22, 2025 |
| Silver | Lukáš Gric | Czech Republic | UIM MotoSurf World Championship, GP of Turkey, Çeşme — June 20-22, 2025 |
| Bronze | Laura Bettinardi | Italy | UIM-ABP Aquabike European Championship, GP of Vichy, France — September 4-7, 2025 |
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
