Stunning Photo of Resilient Elephant Seal Pups Wins Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026

Feb 26, 2026

Matt Growcoot

Two young elephant seals rest on mossy rocks at the water’s edge, with one seal's head above water and the other partially submerged; the sky is lit by a colorful sunset. — Two elephant seals on Sealion Island in the Falklands. Winner of the Portrait category and Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026. | Matty Smith/UPY2026

An adorable pair of Southern elephant seal pups, photographed in a rockpool on the Falkland Islands, sees Matty Smith from Australia named Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) 2026.

Smith’s photograph ‘Rockpool Rookies’ triumphed over 7,900 pictures entered by underwater photographers from around the world.

“Once their pups are weaned, elephant seal mothers abandon them ashore,” explains Smith. “I watched dozens clamber over one another in shallow rockpools, awkwardly learning to swim. On my very first evening, the sky ignited with colour and I captured a handful of frames before the light vanished. It was the defining moment of the long trip.”

Smith built a special dome-shaped camera housing to capture the under-over perspective of the pups.

“Elephant seals were hunted right to the brink of extinction,” says chair of the judging panel, marine ecologist Dr. Alex Mustard. “Their oil-rich blubber was used for everything from fuel for lighting to margarine. 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. A beautiful and hopeful photograph.”

10 Winners of Underwater Photographer of the Year

Close-up underwater view of a sperm whale near the ocean surface, showing its large head, eye, and partially open mouth with visible teeth against a deep blue background. — A curious and playful juvenile sperm whale approaches the photographer who called it an ‘unforgettable moment’. Winner of the Wide Angle category. | Cecile Gabillon Barats/UPY2026

A small crab clings to a vibrant, spiral-shaped coral, illuminated by colorful blue, pink, and orange lights against a dark background underwater. — A commensal shrimp captured inside its naturally spirally whip coral home. Winner of the Macro category. | SeongCheol Cho/UPY2026

A scuba diver explores the seafloor near two large, encrusted pipes or cannons extending from a sunken shipwreck, illuminated by the diver's bright flashlight against deep blue water. — IJN Nagato, a famed Japanese battleship from which Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is said to have issued the order to attack Pearl Harbor and was later sunk by the United States at the end of World War II, sits upside down on Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands. Winner of the Wrecks category. | Niclas Andersson/UPY2026

Close-up of a fish with yellow fins guarding its eggs, with several tiny fry emerging from the eggs on the sea floor. The background is dark, emphasizing the fish and its offspring. — Clownfish eggs hatch in front of the parent’s watchful gaze. Winner of the Behaviour category. | Kazushige Horiguchi/UPY2026

A close-up underwater view of a coral colony releasing pinkish eggs and sperm into the dark blue water, with particles drifting upward in the current. — A rare photo showing a coral reproducing. Winner of the Coral Reefs category. | Dr. Tom Shlesinger/UPY2026

Black-and-white image with two panels showing intricate underwater coral branches. The left panel features a fish silhouette swimming among the coral, while the right panel displays only the dense coral patterns. — A lone wrasse punctuates a coral window off Sado Island, Japan. Winner of the Black and White category. | Shunsuke Nakano/UPY2026

A close-up underwater photo of a leopard seal with its mouth wide open, showing its sharp teeth and pink tongue, set against a dark blue ocean background. — A leopard seal bears its teeth as it lunges toward the camera in the icy waters of Antarctica. Winner of the Up and Coming category. | Sam Blount/UPY2026

A crayfish stands on green underwater plants, its claws raised, with deep blue water and rippling sunlight visible above the surface behind it. — Taken on a Sony RX100 M7, a freshwater crayfish poses in front of an Alpine peak. Winner of the Compact category. | Andrea Michelutti/UPY2026

A close-up underwater photo of a hairy frogfish with its mouth wide open, displaying its sharp teeth and textured, spiky body, against a dark background. — A frogfish lies in wait for its prey. Winner of the Smartphone category. | Cack Ho/UPY2026

A boy wearing a helmet and blue jacket sits on a dead whale among many beached whales, while people surround them on a blood-stained shore during a whale hunt event. — A little boy sits on top of a slain pilot whale during the controversial Gridadrap, an annual hunt in the Faroe Islands. Winner of the Marine Conservation category. | Khaichuin Sim/UPY2026

The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the U.K. and aims to promote underwater photography. To see all of the awarded images, head to the website.