These award-winning underwater photos provide a rare glimpse beneath the world's oceans

The Ocean Photographer of the Year awards announced the winners of its 2026 contest.
Winning photos show wildlife such as sharks, turtles, dolphins, and ribbonfish.
A photo of a seahorse with newborn juveniles won the top prize.

There's more to the world's oceans than meets the eye.

Presented by Oceanographic and Blancpain, the annual Ocean Photographer of the Year awards highlight photographs taken both above and below the water's surface, raising awareness of ocean conservation and the scientific research that helps preserve its delicate ecosystems.

The winning photos of the 2026 competition, revealed in September, were chosen from 15,000 submissions across categories including Wildlife, Human Connection, Fine Art, and Adventure. The contest also gave out a Female Fifty Fathoms Award, created to recognize the work of female ocean photographers.

Take a look.

The winner of the Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds category was Mitsuna Kawai, with a photo of a ribbonfish.

Mitsuna photographed the ribbonfish during a winter blackwater dive in Osezaki, Japan.

Rui Duarte captured a group trying to push a stranded short-finned pilot whale back to the water, winning the Human Connection category.

Duarte took the photo in Boa Vista, Cape Verde.

Matty Smith's photo of a tawny nurse shark won first place in the contest's Fine Art category.

Smaller fish called remoras swam beneath the shark.

Jenny Stock received the Female Fifty Fathoms award, which celebrates women in ocean photography.

Stock's image collection included one of a green turtle, which she photographed as it approached her camera, curious about its reflection in the dome port.

A photo of divers and snorkelers surrounding a whale shark in the Maldives by James Ferrara won in the Conservation Impact category.

A whale shark surrounded by divers and snorkelers.

"With almost 50 people visible in the frame, this image captures the reality behind some popular wildlife encounters: an animal seeking space while people compete for a closer view," the contest captioned the photo.

The winner of the Conservation Hope category was Thomas Pavy for his photo of a great hammerhead shark in French Polynesia.

Pavy photographed the shark during a population survey, when researchers use laser-calibrated video photogrammetry to track sharks.

Gergo Rugli captured a snapshot of dolphins riding the waves in Sydney, which won first place in the Adventure category.

The pod of dolphins swam with surfers at Sydney's Tamarama Beach.

The Ocean Portfolio category winner was Miguel Serrano Ruiz with his photos of a conservationist and an olive ridley sea turtle.

Ruiz photographed a conservationist protecting the eggs from the rising tide in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Julien Anton won the title of Ocean Photographer of the Year with his photo of an adult seahorse with newborn juveniles in French Polynesia.

Anton's image also won first place in the Wildlife category.

"My hope is that this image can serve as a bridge between science, conservation, and a world that deserves to know what is at stake," Anton said in a statement released by the contest.

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