The 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year competition has once again showcased breathtaking imagery, reminding us of the profound beauty and urgent fragility of our planet’s vast waters. From mesmerizing macro shots to dramatic conservation statements, this year’s winners and finalists offer an unparalleled glimpse into marine life, emphasizing the critical role photography plays in fostering connection and inspiring action for ocean conservation.
The ocean, with its mysterious depths and boundless expanse, has an inherent power to ignite our curiosity and inspire exploration. Yet, for many, its grandeur remains hidden. The annual Ocean Photographer of the Year competition, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, actively bridges this gap, connecting people to the immense waters that cover over 70% of our planet. This year’s awards not only celebrated extraordinary photographic talent but also amplified crucial messages about ocean conservation, illuminating both the beauty and fragility of marine environments.
Celebrating the Overall Vision: Yury Ivanov’s Macro Masterpiece
Hailing from Indonesia, macro photographer Yury Ivanov earned the prestigious title of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025. His winning image, a striking portrait of two synchronized ‘ladybugs of the sea’—tiny creatures merely 3mm tall—captivated the judges with its eloquent simplicity and profound celebration of the ocean’s intricate diversity. Captured at his local dive site in Bali, Ivanov’s photograph offers an intimate glimpse into often-overlooked underwater life. Upon receiving the accolade, Ivanov shared, “Winning Ocean Photographer of the Year is an incredible feeling; I’m deeply grateful for the recognition. This award is not just about one image, but about celebrating the ocean itself—its fragility, diversity, and its extraordinary power to inspire us.”
Diving Deep into the Categories: A Look at This Year’s Champions
The competition recognized exceptional talent across a diverse range of categories, each offering a unique perspective on the ocean. These included Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Fine Art Photographer of the Year, Adventure Photographer of the Year, Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year, Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year, Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean, Young Photographer of the Year, Female Fifty Fathoms Award, and Ocean Portfolio Award.
Wildlife Wonders: Life in Motion and Stillness
In the Wildlife Photographer of the Year category, Takumi Oyama of Japan secured first place with an extraordinary image of a female yellow pygmy goby releasing newly hatched larvae into the water column. Oyama’s photograph highlighted a rare instance of female parental care in gobiid fishes. The diversity of marine life was further celebrated through several captivating finalist entries.
Yifan Ling earned 2nd place with a powerful image of a one-year-old Bigg’s orca, ‘Rook’, proudly displaying a harbor seal against a glowing sunset in the Salish Sea. This moment underscored the success of long-term conservation efforts like the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which has enabled the rebound of both orca and harbor seal populations.
Other notable finalists included Suliman Alatiqi’s shot of a Komodo dragon regulating its body temperature in shallow water, Arturo De Frias’s rare capture of a marine iguana sneezing excess salt in the Galapagos, and Daniel Sly’s intimate portrait of an eastern gobbleguts fish carrying its eggs in Sydney Harbour. Romain Barats also showcased the agile nature of gentoo penguins in Antarctica, while Richard Smith highlighted the incredible camouflage of a dwarf seahorse in Florida. Kat Zhou’s dramatic image of a pelican swooping to steal a fish from strand-feeding dolphins demonstrated opportunistic behaviors, and Andrey Shpatak’s rare encounter with a pea crab searching for a home showcased the hidden life of Rudnaya Bay. Finally, Matthew Watkinson’s intense photograph depicted a Greater Black-backed Gull aggressively snatching fish from a puffin, illustrating the harsh realities of seabird life.
Artistry Beneath the Waves: Fine Art Photography
Marcia Riederer of Australia earned 1st place in the Fine Art Photographer of the Year category for her evocative image of dwarf minke whales. These curious giants, known for their predictable aggregation in the Great Barrier Reef, approach swimmers with a playful curiosity, creating humbling moments of connection that reaffirm the urgent need for ocean conservation.
Rafael Armada took 2nd place with a serene image from South Georgia Island, capturing a lone penguin reflected in ephemeral mirrors on black sand, conveying a sense of transience and stillness. Ysabela Coll received 3rd place for her dramatic shot of a stingray vanishing into a swirling cloud of sand in Mexico, showcasing a remarkable survival tactic as an art form.
Finalists in this category included Hitomi Tsuchiya’s capture of an “underwater aurora” near Mount Iwo in Japan, highlighting the connection between geology and marine conservation. Toni Bertran Regàs’s jellyfish photo resembled a space rocket leaving Earth, taken at sunrise in Spain. Luis Arpa Toribio presented a dynamic image of a juvenile Pinnate Batfish in Indonesia, using slow shutter speed to create motion. Joaquin Fregoni’s entry showcased a curious female whale in French Polynesia approaching his group. Dylan De Haas captured manta rays cruising near the Australian shoreline, a powerful reminder of human impact. Jade Hoksbergen’s image featured a tiny, camouflaged candy crab on its coral mattress in the Philippines. Scott Portelli presented a serene shot of a Weddell seal resting on an Antarctic ice floe, while Tim Burgess documented a humpback whale with her calf breaching off the Australian coast.
The Thrill Seekers: Adventure Photography
Portugal’s Ben Thouard was awarded 1st place in Adventure Photographer of the Year for his powerful shot of a surfer at Nazaré. The image captures the sheer determination and skill required to tackle the formidable waves, even on a rough day, showcasing the raw power of the ocean and human resilience.
Gergo Rugli of Australia took 2nd place with “Melchizedek,” an image captured on a crisp winter morning at Bronte Beach, depicting a surfer amidst a painterly blur of waves. This image symbolizes the surprising vitality and purpose found in challenging conditions. Finalists like Romain Barats shared an exhilarating moment of a freediver surrounded by socializing sperm whales in Dominica. Álvaro Herrero’s image of a freediver maintaining a respectful distance from humpback whales in French Polynesia championed responsible wildlife interaction.
Other adventure finalists included Jeong Yul Park’s expansive view of a cenote in Cancun, Marc Lenfant’s striking illusion of a surfer at Teahupo’o forming the iris of a giant wave-eye, and Kim Feast’s baffling shot of surfer Noa Deane flying through a rainbow at Huzzas surf break. Daan Verhoeven captured a freediver amidst dramatic light beams in a Mexican cenote, and Byron Conroy showcased the ethereal beauty of Silfra fissure in Iceland, a “visibility wonderland.”
Voices for the Ocean: Conservation Photography
The Conservation (Impact) Photographer of the Year award went to Hugo Bret for a profoundly moving image from the Faroe Islands: a long-finned pilot whale fetus lying lifeless under its mother’s corpse. Bret’s image exposed the brutal reality of the grindadráp hunts, underscoring that these practices, once existential necessities, are no longer subsistence-based. He hopes this image advocates for a reconsideration of humanity’s relationship with other living beings.
Daniel Flormann secured 2nd place in Conservation (Impact) with a stark photograph of three sharks, tragically killed as bycatch in a net meant for anchovies in West Papua. His image is a plea to see sharks not as dangers, but as endangered. The Conservation (Hope) Photographer of the Year was awarded to Sirachai Arunrugstichai for his image of an aquarist holding an early-stage embryo of an Endangered Indo-Pacific Leopard shark at Aquaria Phuket, Thailand. This highlights a successful breeding program working towards reintroducing these sharks to the wild, a testament to effective conservation efforts documented by the IUCN Red List.
László Földi received 2nd place in Conservation (Hope) for his image of a squid egg on the seabed in the Philippines, a tiny symbol of new life. Théo Maynier took 3rd place for his hopeful encounter with an octopus and its eggs in Martinique’s Kay Pothuau marine reserve, where octopus populations are recovering from overconsumption. Finalists included Andrew Sullivan-Haskins’ powerful image of a technician removing a large ghost net from an albatross colony in Hawai’i, part of the extensive efforts by the Papahānaumokuākea Marine Debris Project (PMDP). Jesse Miller captured an ancient Sixgill shark juxtaposed with human trash, a toilet and traffic cone, at Redondo Beach. Richard Smith’s image showed an endemic Melanesian Blue Devil damselfish amidst bleached coral, illustrating the devastating impact of global warming on species reliant on healthy coral habitats.
Additional Conservation finalists included Julia Ochs’ unsettling glimpse into the bycatch of a small bottom trawler in the Mediterranean, aiming to expose destructive fishing practices. Solvin Zankl shared a hopeful moment of a female brittle star releasing eggs in Bonaire, synchronized by the moon. Aaron Sanders documented Midnight Snappers feeding on giant barrel sponge spawn in Indonesia, a rare event breathing new life into the reef. Youenn Kerdavid’s image showed a hungry whale following a krill trawler in Antarctica, illustrating the growing threat of krill extraction to Antarctic wildlife, a cause supported by Sea Shepherd. Giancarlo Mazarese captured a tiny paper nautilus clinging to a plastic bottle cap in the Philippines, a stark reminder of pollution’s silent impact. Lastly, Henley Spiers presented a somber image of a green turtle, an endangered species, killed by a boat strike in Mexico, urging reflection on the human burden on ocean life.
Bridging Worlds: Human Connection and Young Talent
The Human Connection Award: People & Planet Ocean was presented to Craig Parry for his image capturing the tireless community effort to save a stranded humpback whale in Australia. Despite a heartbreaking outcome, the image powerfully reminded viewers of what can be achieved when people unite for a shared purpose. Yifan Ling also earned 2nd place in this category with a photo of a person on a boat surrounded by whales in the USA.
In the Young Photographer of the Year category, Aaron Sanders (United Kingdom) was recognized for his intimate capture of bobtail squid mating on the seabed, observing their mesmerizing color changes. Yuka Takahashi received 3rd place for her synchronized humpback whales in French Polynesia, reflecting the strong bond and playful personalities of these majestic creatures. Finalists in the Human Connection category included Kaushiik Subramaniam’s incredible interaction with grey whales in Baja California, and Jianping Li’s romantic depiction of a Reine fishing village amidst snow-clad mountains in Norway.
The Mission Beyond the Lens: Conservation in Action
The Ocean Photographer of the Year competition is more than just an awards ceremony; it’s a critical component of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment. This initiative unites efforts to safeguard marine environments through three core pillars: raising awareness, supporting scientific research, and taking direct conservation action, such as establishing marine protected areas.
Will Harrison, Director of Ocean Photographer of the Year, emphasized that “photography is more than art — it serves as a bridge, connecting people to the ocean in ways words cannot. Even those who may never experience the sea in person are deeply connected to it. In these critical times, this year’s photographers urge us to see, feel, and care, because we protect what we understand.” Similarly, Marc A. Hayek, President and CEO of Blancpain, remarked on the brand’s long-standing connection to ocean exploration through the Fifty Fathoms dive watch, reiterating their continued support for underwater photography as vital in raising awareness and driving marine conservation.
Experience the Ocean’s Grandeur: Exhibitions and Future
For those eager to experience the stunning imagery firsthand, the first major exhibition of the 2025 winning shots will open at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on November 6. Additional exhibitions are planned for Melbourne and Cape Town throughout 2025, allowing millions worldwide to connect with these impactful images digitally, in print, and in person.
The competition continues to grow, offering significant prizes including £10,000 in Canon gear and an expedition with Ocean Census, motivating photographers globally to capture and share the stories of our blue planet. These awards not only celebrate the talent behind the lens but serve as a powerful yearly reminder of our shared responsibility to protect the ocean’s beauty and diversity for generations to come.
