From ribbonfish to seahorses, see the winners of the 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards

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.

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.

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

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.

"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.