MANGROVE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS LAUNCHES 2026 AWARDS WITH NEW CATEGORIES

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 at the moment are open.

Building on a landmark 2025 version — which drew a record-breaking 3,300+ entries from 78 nations — the 2026 awards are set to be larger than ever, with new partnerships with the Global Mangrove Alliance and UNESCO increasing the attain and affect of each entry.

Mangroves are among the many planet’s most important but threatened ecosystems, offering important companies from fisheries and coastal safety to carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Despite this, international protection continues to say no, with half of the world’s mangrove ecosystems prone to collapse by 2050. The Mangrove Photography Awards exist to spark conservation by genuine visible storytelling. 

“Photography has the power to ignite emotional connection and inspire positive action. By contributing your image, you are raising your voice for one of our planet’s most essential yet overlooked habitats.”

– Leo Thom, Founder and Chair, Mangrove Photography Awards 

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, and $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 higher exhibition alternatives and wider international attain for photographers’ work and the conservation tales behind it.

Categories

• Photographers can submit as much as 12 photos throughout six classes: Wildlife, Underwater, Landscape, People, Threats, Conservation Stories (Portfolio)
• Special awards embrace the UNESCO Award, Emirates Award, Arabian Gulf Award, and People’s Choice Award.

Key Dates

• Entries open on 1 April 2026
• Entries shut 1 June 2026.
• The winners can be introduced 24 July 2026, forward of World Mangrove Day
• People’s Choice Award: August 2026

Enter at no cost here.

Media contacts

About Mangrove Action Project

The Mangrove Photography Awards are organized by Mangrove Action Project (MAP), a US-based non-profit
that collaborates with stakeholders in any respect ranges to protect, preserve, and restore our world’s mangrove
forests. 
MAP’s mission is to accomplice with communities and organizations worldwide, leveraging science, coaching, and
environmental training to offer nature-based options for folks and planet.

About Mangrove Photography Awards

The Mangrove Photography Awards function a storytelling platform for folks immersed on the planet of
mangroves and their conservation. Founded and chaired by MAP’s Creative Director and filmmaker Leo Thom,
the competitors offers photographers of all ages and skills a singular platform to shine a lightweight on highly effective
moments and untold tales from these distinctive ecosystems.