Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 awards options seals, ships, shrimp and sharks

Australian photographer Matty Smith has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) 2026 for his picture of a pair of southern elephant seal pups in a rockpool on the Falkland Islands.

Named “Rockpool Rookies,” the {photograph} was named the general winner of the awards, which acquired greater than 7,900 entries, based on a press release from the organizers.

A sunken ship, shrimp, sharks and a protecting octopus mom have been among the many different class winners.

Smith stated within the assertion that he watched dozens of seal pups climb over each other, “awkwardly learning to swim,” after their moms left them.

“On my very first evening, the sky ignited with colour and I captured a handful of frames before the light vanished,” stated Smith, calling it the “defining moment” of his journey.

Alex Mustard, chair of the judging panel, hailed Smith’s work and the story it tells about nature’s resilience.

“Smith used a special dome that he built himself to capture the revealing under-over perspective, perfectly balancing his lighting on the pups’ fur with the setting sun,” stated Mustard.

“Elephant seals were hunted right to the brink of extinction. Their oil rich blubber was used for everything from fuel for lighting to margarine,” he stated.

“Fortunately, the hunt was stopped just in time, and their recovery over the last 100 years is a great example of resilience of the ocean,” added Mustard, who referred to as the profitable picture “a beautiful and hopeful photograph.”

Among the class winners have been beautiful pictures together with the weapons of a Japanese Navy wreck, a feminine octopus lovingly guarding her eggs and the second clownfish eggs hatch.

Japanese photographer Kazushige Horiguchi needed to train excessive persistence to seize the clownfish picture, which reveals the eggs hatching because the dad or mum watches and received the Behavior class.

“I have been photographing clownfish for over three years, but this single image is the only one that truly succeeds,” stated Horiguchi within the assertion.

Another class winner was US photographer Sam Blount, who took dwelling the PADI Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 award for his shot of a leopard seal lunging in direction of his lens.

“Leopard seals wield an astonishing array of dominance displays,” stated Blount within the assertion.

“This one put them all to use, darting around me with effortless power,” he added. “Watching that massive mouth lined with sharp teeth charge straight toward me is a thrill I’ll never forget.”