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See Nine Stunning Images from This Year’s Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest That Show the Majesty of Marine Life
From seahorse farewells to saving a stranded whale, the photos capture the diversity and beauty of sea creatures—but also the perils they face
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An adult male seahorse gazes at two newly born juveniles in the waters of Moorea, French Polynesia. He appears to bid adieu to the young ones, wishing them the best as they begin to make their way in the world.
After seahorses mate, males carry and birth the offspring. That happens because, following a successful courtship dance, a female places her mature eggs into the male’s brood pouch to get fertilized. The male can release up to 2,000 babies at once, although few will survive to adulthood. It’s unknown whether the seahorses in the photo are related, but the scene suggests a heartfelt farewell between a father and his children.
The striking black-and-white image earned Julien Anton the title of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026. He is the overall winner of the annual competition presented by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain that aims to show the beauty of the ocean but also highlight the dangers it faces. A panel of photography experts, museum and gallery curators and editors chooses the winners of the grand award and nine categories.
“When Julien Anton’s image first appeared on screen, the judging panel fell silent. It is an image that demands reflection, pause for thought, and it certainly got that from us,” says Will Harrison, founder and director of Ocean Photographer of the Year, in a statement. “The image is full of quiet energy, even if some of that comes from us humans imprinting our own emotions on the photograph: the bow of the father’s head, the juveniles turning back towards him, the generational gap and the unknown futures of the newborns. What kind of ocean are we leaving for those who come after us? It is ocean photography at its most powerful: intimate, urgent and impossible to ignore.”
Seahorses are now rare in French Polynesia, so the award-winning moment was challenging to capture.
“We spent countless hours searching in difficult conditions, with no guarantee of finding a single seahorse,” says Anton, whose photo also won the wildlife category, in the statement. “That is what made the moment so extraordinary—when the juveniles turned back towards the adult, it felt like something far beyond what I had dared to hope for.”
Here are the first-place category winners of this year’s competition.
Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds
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Photographer Mitsuna Kawai earned the top prize in a new category for this snapshot of a slender ribbonfish as it rises amid the dark waters of Osezaki, Japan. Captured during a winter blackwater dive, the silver fish is surrounded by a swarm of salps. They are tiny, jelly-like creatures that feed on particles floating in the water.
“Encountering a ribbonfish was already a special experience for me, but that night we had about ten of them swimming, dancing, floating among tons of salps and other strange creatures,” Kawai writes on social media. “To see a scene like that just beneath the surface was way beyond my expectation and truly overwhelming.”
Human Connection
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A beached whale is a distressing sight, and the creatures often die on the shore. But Rui Duarte’s photo also captures how humans can come together to try to save these giant living beings. The image shows people working in harmony to move a stranded short-finned pilot whale in Boa Vista, Cape Verde. In the months after the event, international experts trained locals on safe stranding response techniques for future rescue efforts.
Quick fact: Sounding the alarm on whale strandings
In July, conservationists called attention to a concerning statistic: At that point, nearly 150 gray whales had washed up dead or been stuck and died along the West Coast of North America in 2026. Experts worry this year could be one of the deadliest on record for these cetaceans.
Adventure
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Surfers and dolphins have side-by-side adventures in the waters of Tamarama Beach, Australia in this thrilling photo by Gergo Rugli. This pod of playful dolphins swam alongside beachgoers for more than an hour. The image captures humans and wildlife enjoying a shared space together.
“This is truly a dream come true,” Rugli writes on social media after learning he won the award. “The ocean has given me so many unforgettable moments over the years, and to have my work recognized among so many incredible photographers from around the world means more to me than I can put into words.”
Conservation Impact
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James Ferrara highlights the impact of tourism on wildlife, showing nearly 50 divers and snorkelers crowding a whale shark in the Raa Atoll, Maldives. While there are safe ways to swim near these stunning cetaceans, recent research has shown that many tours violate protections set for these endangered animals.
“This image captures the reality behind some popular wildlife encounters: an animal seeking space while people compete for a closer view,” per the statement. Ferrara titles the photo Under Pressure, according to a social media post.
Conservation Hope
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In Tiputa Pass, Rangiroa Atoll, researchers roughly 180 feet below the water’s surface use a laser tool to take measurements on a great hammerhead shark, called a Tamataroa in French Polynesia. The photo, captured by Thomas Pavy, shows the moment an anonymous shark becomes a known individual to scientists that can be tracked over time as part of the local population. Great hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna mokarran) are culturally respected and a protected species in French Polynesia.
“Over the last six years the Tamataroa Project has been focusing on characterizing S. mokarran population and identifying key habitats in order to contribute to a better understanding and conservation of this emblematic species,” Pavy writes on social media.
Fine Art
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Matty Smith took this artistic shot of a tawny nurse shark gliding through the waters off Alimathaa Island, Maldives. Sunlight filtering through the water highlights the ocean creature, and it feels as though it’s looking straight at the viewer. The slow-moving shark is also flanked by remoras, nicknamed suckerfish, which use their specialized dorsal fin to hitchhike on larger ocean animals. The remoras will feed on the shark’s leftovers and use the predator for protection as they travel together.
Female Fifty Fathoms
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British photographer Jenny Stock won this award, which celebrates pioneering and boundary-pushing women in ocean photography. Unlike the other categories, the recipient of the Female Fifty Fathoms Award is nominated by her peers, then judged by the panel.
Stock earned this honor for a collection of ten photographs. One of them is a portrait of a humpback whale and her calf in the warm, safe waters of Tonga. At first, the calf stayed close to its mother, but it later became curious and swam towards Stock as its mother kept a watchful eye on it. Tonga’s protected waters serve as a crucial nursery where humpback moms raise their young before a long trek towards Antarctica.
“I’m honored beyond measure,” Stock says in the statement. “I hope this recognition inspires more women to pick up a camera and discover the magic that’s beneath the surface.”
Portfolio
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Miguel Serrano Ruiz won the portfolio category award for his collection of ten photographs taken in Baja California Sur, Mexico. He spent a month there hoping to document the lives of olive ridley sea turtles during nesting season. But living alongside conservationists opened Ruiz’s eyes to the work people do to save the animals.
In this photo, conservationist Israel Oblea protects eggs just laid by a turtle because the animal began nesting too close to the water and didn’t dig a nest deep enough to properly safeguard her offspring. The rising tide threatens to wash them away, so the scientist prepares to move the eggs to safety.
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