Highly effective, extraordinary, and downright bizarre. These unbelievable images showcase the complete spectrum of ocean life and our obligation to guard it

Ocean Photographer of the Year has introduced the finalists of the 2026 competitors! Thousands of extraordinary photos entered by the world’s most interesting ocean photographers have made the lower, from drone, coastal, underwater and conservation views, they showcase the complete spectrum of ocean life. With classes together with Wildlife, Fine Art, Conservation, Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds, and extra, the class winners can be introduced in September 2026 alongside the general Ocean Photographer of the Year.

The Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 finalists share a outstanding physique of labor that honours the ocean in all its complexity – its marvel, its fragility, and the pressing want to guard it. Standout photos embody two orcas working collectively to hold away a humpback whale calf; a scorpionfish, mid-meal, devouring a lizardfish; and a male octopus, its specialised mating arm prolonged, efficiently courting a feminine.

New for 2026, the Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds class turns the lens to the ocean’s smallest and least-seen inhabitants. From delicate invertebrates to microscopic life varieties seen solely at shut vary, the finalists reveal a dimension of the ocean not often glimpsed, however no much less important for it. Taken collectively, these photos provide an intimate portrait of the hidden structure that underpins the complete marine ecosystem. You’ll discover the bizarre worlds of spawning Christmas tree worms, parasitic copepods dwelling on the attention of a large black sea bass, and a Braun’s pughead pipefish peeking out from a forest of coral polyps.

The Human Connection and Adventure classes discover our species’ enduring relationship with the ocean, from highly effective tales of seagrass restoration tasks and puffin rehabilitation centres, to freedivers plunging to eye-popping depths and surfers struggling comically-timed wipeouts. Together, they remind us that the ocean is a spot of profound significance and joyful chance.

In the Conservation Impact class, you’re witness to the injury the ocean continues to face, together with tales of overfishing and bycatch, the toll plastic air pollution takes on marine mammals, and the killing of pilot whales within the Faroe Islands (a follow often called the grindadráp). These photos are counterbalanced by images of resilience and restoration within the Conservation Hope class, together with lab-reared child lobsters being readied for launch into the wild, scientific divers measuring hammerhead sharks with lasers and thriving kelp forests stuffed with color. Taken collectively, the 2 classes are a reminder of the alternatives humanity faces.

Ocean Photographer of the Year founder and director, Will Harrison, stated: “These photographs don’t just capture what’s beneath the surface; they surface the stories our planet most needs us to hear. As the pressures on our ocean grow, so does the importance of the artists who bear witness to them. This year’s finalists have produced work of extraordinary depth and courage, and we’re proud that Ocean Photographer of the Year continues to be the platform where those stories reach the world.”

See more images in the finalist gallery here.

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Do you need to win some nice prizes in your pictures? Enter your images in our International Amateur Photographer of the Year competition. Free entry for photographers aged 13-21.

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