The ocean can be peaceful, powerful, mysterious, and deeply vulnerable, often all at once. The Ocean Photographer of the Year awards, presented by Oceanographic and Blancpain, bring these different sides of our blue planet together through photographs ranging from intimate wildlife encounters to conservation efforts and people's interactions with the sea. This year’s competition received more than 15,000 entries from ocean photographers worldwide.
At its core, the competition aims to highlight both the ocean's wonder and fragility while celebrating the photographers helping tell its stories. From fleeting wildlife encounters to images documenting the threats marine ecosystems face and the work being done to protect them, this year’s winners offer a striking reminder of how much remains to discover, appreciate, and preserve beneath the surface.
Scroll down to see some of the winners and finalists of this year's OPY Awards, and upvote the photographs that made the strongest impression on you.
#81 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, 2nd Place - James Ferrara
Location: Florida, USA
Description: A common octopus reveals its intricate suckers, textured skin and watchful eye in the waters of Blue Heron Bridge, Florida. Known for its rich marine life, this shallow dive site provided the setting for a close encounter with one of the ocean’s most intelligent animals. Focused lighting highlights the octopus’s anatomy, including its open siphon, which moves water through its body for breathing and movement.
Description: A common octopus reveals its intricate suckers, textured skin and watchful eye in the waters of Blue Heron Bridge, Florida. Known for its rich marine life, this shallow dive site provided the setting for a close encounter with one of the ocean’s most intelligent animals. Focused lighting highlights the octopus’s anatomy, including its open siphon, which moves water through its body for breathing and movement.
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4points
#82 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist - Chelsea Mayer
Location: Baja California, Mexico
Description: A pod of short-beaked common dolphins swims beneath the bow of a ship off the coast of Baja California. Dolphins are known to ride the pressure wave created by moving vessels, using it to travel with little effort in a behavior known as bow riding. Calm seas and exceptional water clarity reveal the dolphins' markings, while the reflection of the white, yellow and blue paint from the National Geographic Venture creates a psychedelic, abstract image.
Description: A pod of short-beaked common dolphins swims beneath the bow of a ship off the coast of Baja California. Dolphins are known to ride the pressure wave created by moving vessels, using it to travel with little effort in a behavior known as bow riding. Calm seas and exceptional water clarity reveal the dolphins' markings, while the reflection of the white, yellow and blue paint from the National Geographic Venture creates a psychedelic, abstract image.
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4points
#83 Adventure Photographer Of The Year - 2nd Place - Ben Thouard
Location: Teahupo'o, French Polynesia
Description: A surfer races through the barrel of Teahupoʻo, French Polynesia, photographed from beneath the wave using a slow shutter speed. Rather than freezing the action, the technique blurs the rushing water while keeping the surfer as the focal point, conveying the incredible speed inside the wave. Teahupoʻo is a busy surf spot, yet the photographer has managed to capture an isolated surfer at this iconic location.
Description: A surfer races through the barrel of Teahupoʻo, French Polynesia, photographed from beneath the wave using a slow shutter speed. Rather than freezing the action, the technique blurs the rushing water while keeping the surfer as the focal point, conveying the incredible speed inside the wave. Teahupoʻo is a busy surf spot, yet the photographer has managed to capture an isolated surfer at this iconic location.
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3points
#84 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist - Daniel Edmond Sullivan Jr
Location: Maui County, Hawai'i
Description: Thirty days after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire claimed 102 lives, thousands gathered off West Maui for a traditional Hawaiian paddle-out ceremony. Surfers and families formed a circle on the ocean, linking hands and releasing leis in memory of those lost. Photographed from above, the image captures a community transforming grief into a shared expression of love, remembrance and connection to the sea.
Description: Thirty days after the 2023 Lahaina wildfire claimed 102 lives, thousands gathered off West Maui for a traditional Hawaiian paddle-out ceremony. Surfers and families formed a circle on the ocean, linking hands and releasing leis in memory of those lost. Photographed from above, the image captures a community transforming grief into a shared expression of love, remembrance and connection to the sea.
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3points
#85 Conservation (Hope) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist - Lix Yongxuan
Location: Nanri Island, Fujian
Description: At sunrise, a traditional fishing village shares the coastline with rows of offshore wind turbines stretching across the sea. The yellow stone houses represent generations shaped by the ocean, while the turbines illustrate modernity. Calm water and clear conditions reveal both landscapes in harmony, inviting viewers to consider how renewable energy and maritime heritage can coexist within the same seascape.
Description: At sunrise, a traditional fishing village shares the coastline with rows of offshore wind turbines stretching across the sea. The yellow stone houses represent generations shaped by the ocean, while the turbines illustrate modernity. Calm water and clear conditions reveal both landscapes in harmony, inviting viewers to consider how renewable energy and maritime heritage can coexist within the same seascape.
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3points
#86 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, 2nd Place - Karsten Michels
Location: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
Description: During a Grindadráp in the Faroe Islands, a pilot whale lies on the shore as hunters carry out the final stages of the hunt. Children watch a tradition that has been passed between generations. The visible wounds and hunting tools show the injuries caused during a process that can last for hours. Whole pods of pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins are driven onto beaches by boats and are killed for their meat and blubber. More than 1,000 whales are typically unalived each year, despite ongoing concerns over high levels of heavy metals in the meat.
Description: During a Grindadráp in the Faroe Islands, a pilot whale lies on the shore as hunters carry out the final stages of the hunt. Children watch a tradition that has been passed between generations. The visible wounds and hunting tools show the injuries caused during a process that can last for hours. Whole pods of pilot whales and Atlantic white-sided dolphins are driven onto beaches by boats and are killed for their meat and blubber. More than 1,000 whales are typically unalived each year, despite ongoing concerns over high levels of heavy metals in the meat.
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3points
#87 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year, Finalist - Rafael Armada
Location: Tarragona, Spain
Description: Yellow-legged gulls swarm around fish thrown from a boat off the coast of Tarragona, Spain, their wings and bodies merging into a blur of movement. This image captures more than feeding chaos; it reflects the relationship these birds have developed with human fishing activity. Discards from fishing vessels are largely responsible for the population growth of several gull species in the Mediterranean, so as well as being a beautiful image this shows us how dependent these birds have become on human activity.
Description: Yellow-legged gulls swarm around fish thrown from a boat off the coast of Tarragona, Spain, their wings and bodies merging into a blur of movement. This image captures more than feeding chaos; it reflects the relationship these birds have developed with human fishing activity. Discards from fishing vessels are largely responsible for the population growth of several gull species in the Mediterranean, so as well as being a beautiful image this shows us how dependent these birds have become on human activity.
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3points
#88 Human Connection Award, Finalist - Liu Xuzhong
Location: Jiangsu, China
Description: As the tide returns across the mudflats of the Yellow Sea, shellfish collectors make their way home carrying the morning’s harvest. The exposed seabed is difficult to cross, each step sinking into the soft mud, yet the fishermen walk together, talking as they go. This image celebrates the enduring connection between coastal communities and the rhythms of the sea, where daily life and livelihoods continue to be shaped by the rise and fall of the tide.
Description: As the tide returns across the mudflats of the Yellow Sea, shellfish collectors make their way home carrying the morning’s harvest. The exposed seabed is difficult to cross, each step sinking into the soft mud, yet the fishermen walk together, talking as they go. This image celebrates the enduring connection between coastal communities and the rhythms of the sea, where daily life and livelihoods continue to be shaped by the rise and fall of the tide.
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3points
#89 Human Connection Award, Finalist - Vanessa Torres Macho
Location: Tufi, Papua New Guinea
Description: Two children play outside their family home in the fjords of Tufi, Papua New Guinea, where daily life revolves around the water. These sheltered waterways are the community’s roads and meeting place, connecting villages by canoe and providing food and livelihoods. The image celebrates a relationship with water that is both practical and deeply rooted in culture.
Description: Two children play outside their family home in the fjords of Tufi, Papua New Guinea, where daily life revolves around the water. These sheltered waterways are the community’s roads and meeting place, connecting villages by canoe and providing food and livelihoods. The image celebrates a relationship with water that is both practical and deeply rooted in culture.
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3points
#90 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, 3rd Place - Lu Minqiang
Location: Malé, Maldives
Description: An aerial view of Malé Fish Market showing a fisherman emptying a barrel of fish waste into the sea as a swarm of rays gathers below. Rather than a natural feeding event, this behavior is driven by human activity. The discarded remains provide an easy food source, altering where and how these rays feed.
Description: An aerial view of Malé Fish Market showing a fisherman emptying a barrel of fish waste into the sea as a swarm of rays gathers below. Rather than a natural feeding event, this behavior is driven by human activity. The discarded remains provide an easy food source, altering where and how these rays feed.
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2points
#91 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist - Jingyi Zhang
Location: Zhuhai, China
Description: A male orca rests motionless on the floor of a concrete tank at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, China. His severely collapsed dorsal fin is a visible consequence of prolonged captivity. Captured as part of an investigation into captive cetaceans, this image reveals the contrast between the public display of “adorable animals” and the physical and psychological challenges faced by captive orcas. Originally wild-caught from Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk as juveniles, these animals were separated from their family groups and denied the social environment that defines their lives in the ocean.
Description: A male orca rests motionless on the floor of a concrete tank at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, China. His severely collapsed dorsal fin is a visible consequence of prolonged captivity. Captured as part of an investigation into captive cetaceans, this image reveals the contrast between the public display of “adorable animals” and the physical and psychological challenges faced by captive orcas. Originally wild-caught from Russia’s Sea of Okhotsk as juveniles, these animals were separated from their family groups and denied the social environment that defines their lives in the ocean.
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2points
#92 Conservation (Impact) Photographer Of The Year, Finalist - Théo Guillaume
Location: Tetiaroa, French Polynesia
Description: Inside this unhatched green sea turtle egg lies an embryo that passed away during its development. On Tetiaroa Atoll, researchers at Te Mana O Te Moana examine turtle nests and look carefully at unhatched eggs to understand survival rates and threats facing turtles. This hidden view reveals how rising sand temperatures caused by climate change can affect developing embryos, providing important evidence for protecting future generations.
Description: Inside this unhatched green sea turtle egg lies an embryo that passed away during its development. On Tetiaroa Atoll, researchers at Te Mana O Te Moana examine turtle nests and look carefully at unhatched eggs to understand survival rates and threats facing turtles. This hidden view reveals how rising sand temperatures caused by climate change can affect developing embryos, providing important evidence for protecting future generations.
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2points
#93 Human Connection Award, 2nd Place - Sirachai Arungrugstichai
Location: Lamalera, Indonesia
Description: A Lamafa, the lead harpooner in the Indonesian village of Lamalera, leaps from his boat to strike an orca with a hand-thrown harpoon. For more than 600 years, the community has relied on hunting whales and other cetaceans for food, with the meat shared throughout the village. Today, the use of motorboats has made the hunt increasingly controversial, placing traditional subsistence practices at the center of debates about culture, livelihoods and marine conservation.
Description: A Lamafa, the lead harpooner in the Indonesian village of Lamalera, leaps from his boat to strike an orca with a hand-thrown harpoon. For more than 600 years, the community has relied on hunting whales and other cetaceans for food, with the meat shared throughout the village. Today, the use of motorboats has made the hunt increasingly controversial, placing traditional subsistence practices at the center of debates about culture, livelihoods and marine conservation.
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1point
#94 Human Connection Award, Finalist - Sun Qingsheng
Location: Fujian Province, China
Description: Thousands of fish-farming cages stretch across the sea, connected by floating walkways and small wooden huts to form a vast floating community. Extending for kilometers, this carefully organized aquaculture network supports local livelihoods while transforming the coastal landscape.
Description: Thousands of fish-farming cages stretch across the sea, connected by floating walkways and small wooden huts to form a vast floating community. Extending for kilometers, this carefully organized aquaculture network supports local livelihoods while transforming the coastal landscape.
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1point
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