Ocean Photographer of the Year has named a black-and-white portrait of an adult male seahorse with two juveniles as its 2026 overall winner, a poignant image made in the waters off Moorea, French Polynesia. The photograph suggests a tender farewell as the tiny newborns turn back toward the adult amid their first moments in the open sea.
In seahorse reproduction, males carry and deliver the young after courtship, when the female deposits mature eggs into the male’s brood pouch for fertilization. A male can release as many as 2,000 offspring at once, though only a small fraction survive to adulthood. While the family ties of the individuals in the frame are unknown, the scene evokes a parent-child moment.
The winning image secured photographer Julien Anton the title of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 and first place in the wildlife category. The annual competition, presented by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain, seeks to celebrate ocean beauty while drawing attention to threats facing marine environments. Winners are selected by a panel of photographers, museum and gallery curators, and editors.
“When Julien Anton’s image first appeared on screen, the judging panel fell silent,” said Will Harrison, the competition’s founder and director, in a statement. He described the picture as intimate and urgent, noting how it prompts reflection on the future ocean being left to the next generation.
Seahorses are now uncommon in French Polynesia, which made the encounter difficult to find. “We spent countless hours searching in difficult conditions,” Anton said in the statement, adding that the moment when the juveniles turned back toward the adult felt extraordinary.
Below are this year’s first-place category winners.
Ocean Photographer of the Year: Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds
Mitsuna Kawai took top honors in a new category with a portrait of a slender ribbonfish rising through the dark waters of Osezaki, Japan during a winter blackwater dive. The silvery fish is encircled by salps, small gelatinous creatures that filter particles from the water. Kawai wrote on social media that encountering roughly ten ribbonfish amid swarms of drifting life was overwhelming to witness just below the surface.
Human Connection
Rui Duarte’s image documents a coordinated effort to refloat a stranded short-finned pilot whale on Boa Vista, Cape Verde, reflecting both the urgency of beachings and the solidarity of volunteers. In the months that followed, international specialists trained local teams in safe response techniques to improve future rescue attempts. Conservationists have warned of troubling mortality figures for several species this year.
Adventure
At Tamarama Beach, Australia, Gergo Rugli captured surfers sharing a wave with a pod of dolphins that lingered near swimmers for more than an hour. The photograph frames a rare moment of humans and wildlife enjoying the same rolling swell. Rugli wrote on social media that having the ocean deliver so many unforgettable experiences made the award particularly meaningful.
Conservation Impact
James Ferrara’s photograph underscores the pressures of wildlife tourism, depicting nearly 50 divers and snorkelers encircling a whale shark in the Raa Atoll, Maldives. Research has found that many excursions fail to meet standards designed to protect these endangered animals. The work, titled Under Pressure, shows an animal seeking space while observers vie for proximity.
Conservation Hope
In Tiputa Pass on the Rangiroa Atoll, researchers roughly 180 feet down use a paired-laser device to size a great hammerhead shark, or Tamataroa in French Polynesia. Thomas Pavy’s photograph captures the instant a previously anonymous animal becomes a known individual that scientists can monitor over time. Great hammerheads, Sphyrna mokarran, are culturally respected and legally protected in French Polynesia. Pavy noted that the Tamataroa Project has spent six years characterizing the population and mapping key habitats to aid conservation.
Fine Art
Matty Smith’s study of a tawny nurse shark near Alimathaa Island, Maldives, blends soft light and close perspective to give the impression of direct eye contact. Remoras flank the slow-moving shark, using a modified dorsal fin to attach to larger hosts for transport and protection, and to scavenge leftover food.
Female Fifty Fathoms
British photographer Jenny Stock received the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, which recognizes pioneering women in ocean photography. Unlike other categories, this honor is determined through peer nomination and then judged by the panel. Stock was recognized for a portfolio of ten images, including a tender view of a humpback whale and calf in Tonga’s protected nursery waters, where mothers raise young before the long journey toward Antarctica. She said in a statement that she hopes the accolade encourages more women to explore underwater photography.
Portfolio
Miguel Serrano Ruiz won the portfolio category for ten images made in Baja California Sur, Mexico, where he set out to document olive ridley sea turtles during nesting season. Living alongside conservationists shaped the narrative of his work, revealing the daily interventions required to protect the species.
One frame shows conservationist Israel Oblea safeguarding freshly laid eggs after a turtle began nesting too close to the water and failed to dig a sufficiently deep nest. With the tide rising, he prepares to relocate the clutch to prevent it from being swept away.
For more on efforts to document and preserve cultural moments, see Standing in the Shadow of No Towers: A witness’s account. Additional information on humpback whale conservation and research is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.