The Rising New Resident — OG PICOTY 2022
Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year (PICOTY) 2022｜Dr. Alex Mustard Award of Excellence｜類別優勝（Category Winner）
Ocean Geographic Pictures of the Year (PICOTY) 2022 │ Dr. Alex Mustard Award of Excellence │ Category Winner
照片背後的故事
The story behind The Rising New Resident — OG PICOTY 2022
Dr. Alex Mustard Award——以一個人為名的獎項
OG PICOTY 是 Ocean Geographic 雜誌主辦的年度水下攝影獎，這個獎項裡有一個特殊的子項：Dr. Alex Mustard Award of Excellence。
Alex Mustard 是英國水下攝影界的傳奇人物——博士背景、長年活躍於 UPY、Ocean Art 等大賽評審席。這個以他為名的獎項，肯定的不是「單張驚豔」的爆款，而是 對單一主題深度探索、具備生態敘事的攝影工作。換句話說：一個攝影師願意花多年時間追蹤一個物種、一個棲地，把它拍透。
陽明山＋淡水流域的特有種溪蟹
得獎的系列作品，主角是台灣特有種的清溪蟹，分布於陽明山與淡水周邊溪流。這些蟹在生態上很特殊——體型小、生活在淡水溪流、對水質與棲地敏感、又是台灣島嶼演化的代表性物種。
系列裡同時包含了：
—— The Rising New Resident（首頁輪播主圖）：捕捉新一代溪蟹的世代交替瞬間。
—— OGN-KWKao-03：同系列的環境肖像。
—— 陽明山澤蟹｜淡水：水下溪流棲地的全景紀錄。
為什麼這個獎特別重要
大部分國際比賽，肯定的是單張作品的視覺爆發力。但 Alex Mustard Award 看的是 body of work——你的攝影師身分有多深。
能在「拍多年單一主題」這個維度上獲得 Category Winner，對我而言比拿一張單獎更有意義。它確認的是：我長期投入台灣本地物種與棲地的工作方向，是被國際同行看見、被認可的。
同年加映：Ocean Art 2022 Portrait Gold
同年，另一張獨立作品《鏡面倒影》也獲得 Ocean Art 2022 人像組金牌（世界冠軍）——主角同樣是台灣的溪蟹。2022 對我而言，是「台灣溪流物種被世界看見」的一年。
The Dr. Alex Mustard Award — named after a person
OG PICOTY is the annual underwater photography award organised by Ocean Geographic magazine. Within it sits a particular sub-award: the Dr. Alex Mustard Award of Excellence.
Alex Mustard is a legend in UK underwater photography — PhD background, long-standing judge for UPY, Ocean Art, and others. The award named after him does not honour the single viral hero shot. It honours sustained, ecology-driven exploration of a single subject — a photographer willing to spend years tracking a species, a habitat, and getting it right.
Yangmingshan + Tamsui watershed Taiwan-endemic stream crabs
The winning series features Taiwan-endemic stream crabs distributed across the Yangmingshan area and Tamsui-watershed streams. These crabs are ecologically distinctive — small-bodied, freshwater, sensitive to water quality and habitat, and a representative example of Taiwan's island-evolution biodiversity.
The series includes:
— The Rising New Resident (the homepage carousel hero): capturing a generational moment in the crab population.
— OGN-KWKao-03: an environmental portrait from the same series.
— Yangmingshan Stream Crab — Tamsui: the underwater stream-habitat panorama.
Why this award matters more than usual
Most international competitions reward visual punch in a single frame. The Alex Mustard Award looks at the body of work — at the depth of the photographer's practice.
Winning Category Winner on the dimension of "years tracking one subject" matters more to me than winning a one-off image award. It confirms that my long-term direction — focusing on Taiwan-local species and habitats — is being seen and recognised by international peers.
Companion win: Ocean Art 2022 Portrait Gold
The same year, a separate single image — Mirror Reflection — won Gold (World Champion) in Portrait at Ocean Art 2022, also a Taiwan stream crab. 2022 was, for me, the year that "Taiwan stream species" became visible on the world stage.
進一步了解高國維博士
Go deeper
如果你想看高國維博士更完整的國際得獎紀錄、合作案例與創作哲學，可以從以下頁面開始。
For George Kao PhD’s full international awards record, collaborations, and creative philosophy, start here.