The Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 competition has revealed its finalists, selecting top entries from thousands of images submitted by ocean photographers worldwide.
The shortlisted photographs capture extraordinary and unexpected ocean life, showcasing dramatic predatory scenes, rare animal behaviours, and intimate moments beneath the waves.
Among the standout images is a photograph showing two orcas working together to carry away a humpback whale calf in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico. Another scene depicts a scorpionfish caught mid-meal as it devours a lizardfish on a coral reef.
The collection also highlights rare marine courtship rituals. One shortlisted entry features a male octopus with its specialised mating arm extended, successfully courting a female on a coral reef, while another captures a male blue crab protecting a female during mating in the Arabian Gulf off Kuwait.
Marine life across the globe
Several finalist images capture marine species nurturing their young or developing in shallow coastal waters. A male cardinalfish is shown releasing mouth-brooded larvae into the water, while an adult seahorse is pictured surrounded by newly born juveniles in French Polynesia.
Young seals were also photographed testing their aquatic skills. In the Falkland Islands, southern elephant seal pups were documented exploring shallow rock pools on Sea Lion Island after being weaned by their mothers.
Other entries highlight colourful clusters of sea life and hunting behaviour across urban and tropical waters, including a cluster of 11 gunnels beneath Seattle waters and a bottlenose dolphin feeding near a traditional bagan fishing platform in Indonesia.
In southern Australia, a juvenile weedy seadragon was photographed drifting through seagrass near Flinders Pier in Victoria, displaying the dark protective colouring that helps young seadragons blend into vegetation.
Competition background and winner announcements
The Ocean Photographer of the Year is an annual global competition that celebrates marine photography while bringing attention to oceanic environments and wildlife conservation.
Ocean Photographer of the Year founder and director, Will Harrison, said: "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," Harrison said.
"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," he added.
The category winners and the overall winner of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 competition will be announced in September.
