Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 Finalists Announced
Main image: Ben Yavar
Thousands of images submitted by photographers from around the world have been narrowed down to the finalists of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 competition, showcasing the extraordinary diversity, beauty and vulnerability of our oceans.
The 2026 finalists capture marine life from a remarkable range of perspectives, including underwater, coastal and aerial photography.
Among the standout images are two orcas working together to carry away a humpback whale calf, a scorpionfish feeding on a lizardfish and a male octopus using its specialised mating arm while courting a female.
This year’s competition also introduces a new category, Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds, shining a spotlight on some of the ocean’s smallest and least-seen inhabitants.
The category includes close-up images of delicate invertebrates and microscopic life, revealing an often overlooked world that plays a vital role in marine ecosystems.
Finalist images include spawning Christmas tree worms, parasitic copepods living on the eye of a giant black sea bass and a Braun’s pughead pipefish emerging from among coral polyps.
Exploring our relationship with the ocean
The Human Connection and Adventure categories explore the different ways people interact with the sea.
The finalists include stories documenting seagrass restoration projects and puffin rehabilitation centres, alongside images of freedivers reaching extreme depths and surfers caught in spectacularly timed wipeouts.
Together, the photographs highlight both the importance of the ocean to people and the sense of adventure and enjoyment it provides.
The competition also presents a stark reminder of the pressures facing marine environments through its Conservation Impact category.
Finalist images document issues including overfishing and bycatch, the impact of plastic pollution on marine mammals and the killing of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, a practice known as grindadráp.
Alongside these images of environmental damage, the Conservation Hope category focuses on examples of recovery and positive action.
Among the featured stories are lab-reared baby lobsters being prepared for release into the wild, scientific divers using lasers to measure hammerhead sharks and thriving kelp forests filled with colour.
Together, the two conservation categories highlight the challenges facing the ocean while also demonstrating the potential for positive change.
Winners announced in September
The category winners and the overall Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 will be announced in September.
Ocean Photographer of the Year founder and director Will Harrison said the photographs go beyond documenting what lies beneath the surface, helping to bring important stories about the planet’s oceans to a wider audience.
He said the growing pressures facing the ocean make the role of photographers who document them increasingly important, describing this year’s finalists as producing work of “extraordinary depth and courage”.
Ocean Photographer of the Year is presented by Oceanographic and Blancpain.
Full details of the finalists, including their images and captions, are available through the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition.
A full list of the finalists can be found here: https://oceanographicmagazine.com/winners-gallery/
