PHOTO COMPETITION

The winners of the twelfth annual Photo Competition for United Nations World Oceans Day were announced today surrounding the United Nations World Oceans Day celebration in Nice, France. A panel of world-renowned judges selected winners from thousands of global entries made by both amateur and professional photographers. This year’s competition featured the recurring categories “Big and Small Underwater Faces,” “Underwater Seascapes,” and “Above Water Seascapes.” The category “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us” was newly added in celebration of the 2025 UN World Oceans Day theme sharing the same name. The 2025 winning photographers hail from eight different countries: Rachel Moore, Luis Arpa, Steven Lopez (“Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us”); Andrey Nosik, Giacomo Marchione, Lars von Ritter Zahony (“Big and Small Underwater Faces”); Dani Escayola, Gerald Rambert, Pedro Carrillo (“Underwater Seascapes”); Leander Nardin, Nur Tucker, Andrey Nosik (“Above Water Seascapes”).

Historically hosted at the UN Headquarters in New York, this year’s United Nations World Oceans Day celebration moved overseas, taking place ahead of the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which will also be hosted in Nice, France from June 9–13. The winning photographs will be presented live during the United Nations Ocean Conference, during a panel event on 11 June at the Agora in the La Baleine (Green Zone). The winning images will also be displayed in gallery exhibitions at NEO VogelART LAB (Nice) and at The Explorer’s Club (New York) throughout the week.

The 2025 photo competition was coordinated in collaboration between the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, DPG, Oceanic Global, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. Since its inception in 2014, the competition has been curated by underwater and wildlife photographer Ellen Cuylaerts, and judged by a world-renowned panel of judges. Judges for 2025 included: underwater photographer Ipah Uid Lynn (Malaysia), underwater photographer William Tan (Singapore), wildlife photographer Vanessa Mignon (France), and underwater photographer Marcello Di Francesco (Italy).

The Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day is a free-and-open public competition that calls on photographers and artists from around the world to communicate the beauty of the ocean and the importance of the respective United Nations World Oceans Day theme each year. All winners and participants in the competition signed a charter of 14 commitments regarding ethics in photography. Winning photos from 2025 as well as from previous years can additionally be viewed via the virtual gallery on www.unworldoceansday.org.

Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us

© Rachel Moore (USA). Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — Winner
This photo, taken in Mo'orea, French Polynesia in 2024, captures the eye of a humpback whale named Sweet Girl, just days before her tragic death. Four days after I captured this intimate moment, she was struck and killed by a fast-moving ship. Her death serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the 20,000 whales lost to ship strikes every year. We are using her story to advocate for stronger protections, petitioning for stricter speed laws around Tahiti and Mo'orea during whale season. I hope Sweet Girl’s legacy will spark real change to protect these incredible animals and prevent further senseless loss.

© Luis Arpa (Spain). Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — 2nd Place
A juvenile pinnate batfish (Platax pinnatus) captured with a slow shutter speed, a snooted light, and deliberate camera panning to create a sense of motion and drama. Juvenile pinnate batfish are known for their striking black bodies outlined in vibrant orange—a coloration they lose within just a few months as they mature. I encountered this restless subject in the tropical waters of Indonesia’s Lembeh Strait. Capturing this image took patience and persistence over two dives, as these active young fish constantly dart for cover in crevices, making the shot particularly challenging.

© Steven Lopez (USA). Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — 3rd Place
Shot in Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina—a protected shark sanctuary—this image captures a Caribbean reef shark weaving through a group of silky sharks near the surface. Using a slow shutter and strobes as the shark pivoted sharply, the motion blurred into a wave-like arc across its head, lit by the golden hues of sunset. The abundance and behavior of sharks here is a living symbol of what protected oceans can look like.

© Ollie Clarke (UK). Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us — Honorable Mention
Humpback whales in their thousands migrate along the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia every year on the way to and from their calving grounds. In four seasons of swimming with them on the reef here, this is the only encounter I’ve had like this one. This pair of huge adult whales repeatedly spy-hopped alongside us, seeking to interact with and investigate us, leaving me completely breathless. The female in the foreground was much more confident than the male behind and would constantly make close approaches, whilst the male hung back a little, still interested but shy. After more than 10 years working with wildlife in the water, this was one of the best experiences of my life.

Big and Small Underwater Faces

© Andrey Nosik (Russia). Big and Small Underwater Faces – Winner
This photo of a Japanese warbonnet (Chirolophis japonicus) was captured in the Sea of Japan, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Vladivostok, Russia. I found the ornate fish at a depth of about 30 meters (100 feet), under the stern of a shipwreck. This species does not appear to be afraid of divers—on the contrary, it seems to enjoy the attention—and it even tried to sit on the dome port of my camera.

© Giacomo Marchione (Italy). Big and Small Underwater Faces — 2nd Place
On one of my many blackwater dives in Anilao, in the Philippines, my guide and I spotted something moving erratically at a depth of around 20 meters (65 feet), about 10 to 15 centimeters in size. We quickly realized that it was a rare blanket octopus (Tremoctopus sp.). As we approached, it opened up its beautiful blanket, revealing its multicolored mantle. I managed to take a few shots before it went on its way. I felt truly privileged to have captured this fascinating deep-sea cephalopod. Among its many unique characteristics, this species exhibits some of the most extreme sexual size-dimorphism in nature, with females weighing up to 40,000 times more than males.

© Lars von Ritter Zahony (Germany). Big and Small Underwater Faces — 3rd Place
Trips to the Antarctic Peninsula always yield amazing encounters with leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx). Boldly approaching me and baring his teeth, this individual was keen to point out that this part of Antarctica was his territory. This picture was shot at dusk, resulting in the rather moody atmosphere.

Underwater Seascapes

© Dani Escayola (Spain). Underwater Seascapes — Winner
This year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit a jellyfish lake during a liveaboard trip around southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Being surrounded by millions of jellyfish, which have evolved to lose their stinging ability due to the absence of predators, was one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve ever had.

© Gerald Rambert (Mauritius). Underwater Seascapes — 2nd Place
This shot captures a school of rays resting at a cleaning station in Mauritius, where strong currents once attracted them regularly. Some rays grew accustomed to divers, allowing close encounters like this. Sadly, after the severe bleaching that the reefs here suffered last year, such gatherings have become rare, and I fear I may not witness this again at the same spot.

© Pedro Carrillo (Spain). Underwater Seascapes — 3rd Place
“La Rapadura” is a natural hidden treasure on the northern coast of Tenerife, in the Spanish territory of the Canary Islands. Only discovered in 1996, it is one of the most astonishing underwater landscapes in the world, consistently ranking among the planet’s best dive sites. These towering columns of basalt are the result of volcanic processes that occurred between 500,000 and a million years ago. The formation was created when a basaltic lava flow reached the ocean, where, upon cooling and solidifying, it contracted, creating natural structures often compared to the pipes of church organs. Located in a region where marine life has been impacted by once common illegal fishing practices, this stunning natural monument has both geological and ecological value, and scientists and underwater photographers are advocating for its protection. (Model: Yolanda Garcia)

© Lars von Ritter Zahony (Germany). Underwater Seascapes — Honorable Mention
With only orcas as their natural predators, leopard seals are Antarctica’s most versatile hunters, preying on everything from fish and cephalopods to penguins and other seals. Gentoo penguins are a favored menu item, and leopard seals can be observed patrolling the waters around their colonies. For this shot, I used a split image to capture both worlds: the gentoo penguin colony in the background with the leopard seal on the hunt in the foreground.

Above Water Seascapes

© Leander Nardin (Austria). Above Water Seascapes – Winner
A serene lake cradled by arid dunes, where a gentle stream breathes life into the heart of Mother Earth’s creation: Captured from an airplane, this image reveals the powerful contrasts and hidden beauty where land and ocean meet, reminding us that the ocean is the source of all life and that everything in nature is deeply connected. The location is a remote stretch of coastline near Shark Bay, Western Australia.

© Nur Tucker (UK/Turkey). Above Water Seascapes — 2nd Place
Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) soar above the dramatic cliffs of Scotland’s Hermaness National Nature Reserve, their sleek white bodies and black-tipped wings slicing through the Shetland winds. These seabirds, the largest in the North Atlantic, are renowned for their striking plunge-dives, reaching speeds up to 100 kph (60 mph) as they hunt for fish beneath the waves. The cliffs of Hermaness provide ideal nesting sites, with updrafts aiding their take-offs and landings. Each spring, thousands return to this rugged coastline, forming one of the UK’s most significant gannet colonies. It was a major challenge to take photos at the edge of these cliffs at almost 200 meters (650 feet) with the winds up to 30 kph (20 mph).

© Andrey Nosik (Russia). Above Water Seascapes — 3rd Place
Paradise Harbour is one of the most beautiful places on the Antarctic Peninsula. When I visited, the sea was extremely calm, and I was lucky enough to witness a wonderfully clear reflection of the Suárez Glacier (aka Petzval Glacier) in the water. The only problem was the waves created by our speedboat, and the only way to capture the perfect reflection was to lie on the bottom of the boat while it moved towards the glacier.

© Ken Findlay (South Africa). Above Water Seascapes — Honorable Mention
A South Atlantic swell breaks on the Dungeons Reef off the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, shot while photographing a big-wave surf session in October 2017. It’s the crescendoing sounds of these breaking swells that always amazes me.

Photography is a powerful medium to convey a feeling or a message. This open and free photo competition seeks to inspire the creation of imagery capturing the beauty, the challenges and the importance of the ocean and humankind’s relation to it, hoping to contribute to actions to preserve this vital resource.

The photo competition has four thematic categories open for submissions:

1. ^NEWWonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us

   • Images that celebrate the ocean’s essential wonder, from all of the wonders it consists of to the wonder it ignites

2. Big and Small Underwater Faces

   • Portraits of marine life underwater that feature faces big and/or small to help personalize the world beneath the waves

3. Underwater Seascapes

   • Awe-inspiring underwater seascapes of the ocean’s splendors, from life in the ocean to ecosystems and exchanges we don’t typically see, anything that inspires beauty, promise, or potential. A minimum of 50% should be taken underwater, also allowing half-above water and half-below water shots

4. Above Water Seascapes

   • Landscapes depicting an environment dependent on the ocean, taken above water

Winning images will be recognized on June 8th during the United Nations event marking World Oceans Day 2025 (preceding the Ocean Conference in Nice, France). Recognition and diffusion of the winning images and finalists will be widely exposed throughout the contest websites, the media and the informational materials related to subsequent competitions. Winning photos have been printed for exhibitions around the world.

• The contest is open to entrants of all skill levels.

• Photo contest staff and judges are not allowed to enter the contest.

• Winners will be announced on UN World Oceans Day, June 8th—this year celebrated in Nice—hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, in partnership with Oceanic Global, and published on DPG shortly afterwards.

• Entries may have been taken from any camera, digital or film (as scanned slides).

• Conservation rules will be strictly observed. Flora and fauna should never be stressed or endangered for the sake of a photo. Entries suspected of involving the following behavior will be disqualified:
  • Photographers visibly damaging the environment (e.g., gear dragging or kicking up sand, divers exhibiting poor buoyancy control)
  • Animals with signs of stress (e.g., puffed puffers, inking octopus)
  • Animals moved to an unnatural environment or risky location
  • Marine life being touched or placed (e.g., nudibranchs, coral polyps, seahorse tails)
• Entrants will be obliged to agree to the following charter:

• Images that have won or placed in photo contests with winning entries announced before March 1st, 2025 may not be submitted. Any single image that was part of a portfolio, but did not place as a single image, is eligible to be entered. A winning image is defined as follows:
  • Any image that has placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a major photography contest (to be determined subjectively by judges). (When a concern is raised, it will be considered by the judging panel, rectified and communicated if deemed necessary. Any bashing on social media will result in disqualification. We expect respect for and kindness towards fellow entrants)
  • Any image that has placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any photo of the year-type contest. Photos of the day, week, or month are eligible

• Photographers retain all copyrights to their images. The organizers of World Oceans Day Photo Contest retain the right to publish the contest entries in any format to congratulate or feature the winners and their respective images, and to promote future World Oceans Day events, as well as for awareness-raising purposes for the work of the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. Winning images will be included in a press release for third party websites and publications in the context of congratulating and/or featuring the winners and winning images, and to promote future World Oceans Day events. Winning images can be used by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations and their partners to promote awareness, preservation and conservation. Strict guidelines requiring photo credit and specific one-time press release usage are issued along with the press release.

• Note on photo manipulation: Post-processing images is allowed. This includes global adjustments to exposure, contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, and tone. Minor cleaning of images is permitted, including the removal of backscatter, dust and scratches. HDR, panoramas, focus stacking or other techniques that involve using multiple images taken at the same time and place are also allowed.

  Adding, removing or moving animals, people, plants or other objects is not allowed. For example, moving a fish, removing a reef element or adding a glow to a divers torch is not acceptable.

  While digital manipulation is permitted, please keep in mind this not a Photoshop competition. All images should accurately represent the subject matter and nature. Images that appear to be overly processed may be disqualified at the judges’ discretion.

• Entries must be saved in JPEG format and should be sized to be between 2,000 and 6,000 pixels in the longest dimension. Please limit your images to a maximum file size of 4,900KB (4.9MB). Images will be viewed on a large monitor and should be in the AdobeRGB 1998 or sRGB color space.

• Please do not include any watermark or borders on your images. These elements will detract from the image’s impact. It’s not that we don't want you to protect your images; it’s just hard to appreciate an image with a watermark over it. (We will keep the display of winning images consistent, and when your image is displayed, it will be clearly labeled as your image.)

• The same image can only be entered into one category.

Note: Entrants should retain high-resolution and RAW files of their submissions. In the event your submission is selected as a finalist, you will be asked to submit a RAW file to check if adjustments made to the image comply with the rules and a high-resolution file for printing and display. Entrants will also be asked to provide a caption (subject, location, story). The judging of submissions will take place in mid April and early May. If you plan to travel during that time, you should be prepared to send files when requested. Not providing files or failing to provide files in time will lead to disqualification.

Ipah Uid Lynn is an award-winning professional photographer born and bred in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her creative photography work has been recognized in numerous prestigious international competitions, and her images have been published in print and online dive publications all over the world.

Ipah is a regular speaker at international dive shows. Her love and passion for the underwater world inspires her to educate people about the challenges we face in protecting our oceans and the importance of conserving marine ecosystems for future generations.

Instagram: @ipah_uid_lynn

William Tan has been fascinated with the creatures of the sea since childhood. While studying at the Johns Hopkins University (USA), much of his spare time was spent gazing at the extensive marine collection of the nearby National Aquarium in Baltimore.

A violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, William earned his scuba diving certification in 1994. Thereafter, without his prized antique Italian violin, he travels extensively between concert seasons throughout the Pacific region photographing marine life for scientific institutions, camera and housing manufacturers, tourism organizations, dive magazines and resorts.

Facebook: @william.tan.7334

Vanessa Mignon is an award-winning wildlife photographer and trip leader based in Australia. One of her main focuses is conservation. She hopes that by sharing her photography and experiences she can inspire others and increase people’s awareness of the beauty and diversity of nature, and how essential it is to protect it.

In 2024, Vanessa became an ambassador for the Australian Marine Conservation Society and was also appointed Conservation Liaison Officer for Marelux.

Instagram: @vanessamignon1977

Marcello Di Francesco is a scuba instructor and award-winning underwater photographer with over 15 years of experience exploring and capturing the ocean’s beauty. A recognized name in underwater photography competitions, he has earned multiple international awards, and as a judge, he evaluates national championships and serves on international juries.

Marcello contributes regularly to top diving magazines and leads photography expeditions in collaboration with travel agencies. Since 2013, he has been part of the Nauticam Italy Image Team, working on equipment testing and promotions. An Aqualung Ocean Ambassador, he actively supports marine conservation efforts through various environmental initiatives and collaborations.

Facebook: @marcellodfr

Ellen Cuylaerts was born in Belgium and now resides in the UK, having spent 12 years living in the Caribbean, where she devoted her time to diving, photography and conservation work. On World Oceans Day in 2017, she addressed heads of state at the General Assembly of the United Nations, highlighting the work of photographers and filmmakers involved in the protection of the oceans. As curator of the Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day since 2016, she developed a Charter of Ethics for UN World Oceans Day as well as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. A Fellow of The Explorers Club, Ellen was a member of its Flag and Honors Committee between 2016 and 2020. She became a certified cave diver in 2018 and the following year was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. In 2021, she participated in her first cave exploration expedition to Mexico’s Cenote Xunaan-Ha.

Instagram: @underwaterellen

The 2025 Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day is coordinated in collaboration between the following:

• United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea

• DivePhotoGuide (DPG)

• Oceanic Global

• Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO

• Nausicaá

If your organization would be interested in supporting the Annual World Oceans Day Photo Contest please contact us here.