Mangrove Action Project – a non-profit restoring and defending the world’s mangrove forests – is proud to announce that entries to the twelfth annual Mangrove Photography Awards are actually open.
Building on a landmark 2025 version — which drew a record-breaking 3,300+ entries from 78 international locations — the 2026 awards are set to be larger than ever, with new partnerships with the Global Mangrove Alliance and UNESCO increasing the attain and influence of each entry.
Mangroves are among the many planet’s most significant but threatened ecosystems, offering important companies from fisheries and coastal safety to carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Despite this, world protection continues to say no, with half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems susceptible to collapse by 2050. The Mangrove Photography Awards exist to spark conservation via genuine visible storytelling.
What’s New for 2026
- Bigger prizes: $7,000 complete
- $1,000 for the general Mangrove Photographer of the Year
- $500 for every of 11 class winners
- $250 for the Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year and the People’s Choice Award.
New partnerships with the Global Mangrove Alliance and UNESCO imply better exhibition alternatives and wider world attain for photographers’ work and the conservation tales behind it.
Categories
- Photographers can submit as much as 12 pictures throughout six classes: Wildlife, Underwater, Landscape, People, Threats, Conservation Stories (Portfolio)
- Special awards embody the UNESCO Award, Emirates Award, Arabian Gulf Award, and People’s Choice Award.
Key Dates
- Entries open: 1 April 2026
- Entries shut: 1 June 2026
- Winners introduced: 24 July 2026, forward of World Mangrove Day
- People’s Choice Award: August 2026
Banner Image: Jellyfish within the solar by Chris Rohner