13 Award-Winning Photos From the UN World Oceans Day Contest

Jeremy Gray

A triptych of photos: two people kiss at sunset, a close-up of a whale’s eye just above the water, and a diver surrounded by a dense school of fish in deep blue water.

The 13 winners of the 13th annual Photo Competition for United Nations World Oceans Day have been announced.

The winners of the annual competition are featured during the UN World Oceans Day event at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. The photo contest is held in collaboration between the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Dive Photo Guide, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Nausicaá. Since 2016, the contest has been curated by celebrated underwater and wildlife photographer Ellen Cuylaerts. The 2026 judging panel includes underwater photographers Ipah Uid Lynn, William Tan, and Jane Morgan, alongside dive publication founder Dave Alexander.

The judges selected top three winners plus an honorable mention across four categories: Connecting Oceans, Big and Small Underwater Faces, Underwater Seascapes, and Above Water Seascapes. The 13 winners hail from nine different countries, demonstrating the global appeal of the annual UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition.

The four first-place winners are Italian photographer Valentina Cucchiara, British photographer Kasuhiik Sabramaniam, Ysabela Coll from the Dominican Republic, and American photographer Bruce Sudweeks.

Connecting Oceans

A scuba diver with a flashlight explores a large, dark cave filled with dramatic stalactites and stalagmites, illuminating parts of the rocky formations.
1st Place, Valentina Cucchiara (Italy) | Suspended in the pristine darkness of Cenote Nariz, a diver illuminates a breathtaking ancient underwater world formed drop by drop over millennia. This vast subterranean aquifer serves as the vital heart of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, acting as the primary source of fresh water that sustains its sprawling jungles, diverse wildlife, and human communities. Known to the Maya as “Suhuy Ja’” — or sacred water — these submerged networks represent an interconnected ancestral legacy that has nurtured life across countless generations. Tragically, this irreplaceable geological marvel is currently under serious threat. We have a profound obligation to protect this fragile ecosystem from destruction so these sacred subterranean rivers may continue to support future generations. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A diver swims underwater, surrounded by a large school of fish. Sunlight filters through the water, creating a dramatic silhouette and illuminating the scene with a blue glow.
2nd Place, James Ferrara (USA) | While diving inside a cave in the Kingdom of Tonga, I watched as a freediver was surrounded by a swirling school of baitfish. Sunlight pouring in from the cave’s entrance created a striking silhouette, perfectly framing the diver and fish in a fleeting moment of harmony between shadow and motion. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A freediver in a wetsuit and fins swims just below a thick, textured layer of ice on the water’s surface, surrounded by deep blue water.
3rd Place, James Ferrara (USA) | A freediver glides beneath the frozen surface of North America’s Lake Huron, suspended in a silent and surreal world. The view from below reveals intricate patterns in the ice, sculpted by weather and waves. Experiencing a scene like this makes braving the elements more than worthwhile. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A person paddles a wooden canoe on clear water, with lush green trees above and vibrant coral reefs visible below the water’s surface under a bright, sunny sky.
Honorable Mention, Wendy Mitchell (Australia) | There has never been a more critical time to take action to protect the places we love. Globally, coral reefs are being lost at an alarming rate, largely driven by the relentless impacts of burning fossil fuels. The release of carbon dioxide trapped in coal, oil, and gas is the leading contributor to climate change, driving ocean temperatures to extreme levels. Yet, hope remains through awareness and responsible leadership. A brighter future is possible if we champion local initiatives and cast our votes for those committed to protecting these critical ecosystems. This photo is a window into two worlds, a reminder of the interconnectedness of every element of our planet. The image was captured in the blue-water mangroves of Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia, where communities rely heavily on the health of their reefs for sustenance and economic benefits from tourism. | www.unworldoceansday.org

Big and Small Underwater Faces

Close-up view of a gray whale partially submerged in water, with its eye and mottled, textured skin clearly visible above and below the water's surface.
1st Place, Kaushiik Subramaniam (UK) | A curious juvenile gray whale approaches our boat in a lagoon in Baja California Sur, Mexico. This was an incredibly special encounter, as the whale spent over an hour with us, coming in close enough for me to dip my camera into the water and capture this image. These whales are known for their friendly and inquisitive nature, and seem to genuinely enjoy interacting with humans. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A close-up side view of a fish’s head, dramatically lit in red against a black background, showing a wide-open mouth and a glowing, yellow eye.
2nd Place, Verona Chadwick (Australia) | In Anilao in the Philippines, this moray eel was hiding in a hole in a reef wall, popping its head out intermittently. A snooted flash with a color filter was set up behind the subject to create the red rim light — which wasn’t easy because the eel kept moving around. I used a second snooted flash to focus a narrow white beam on the eye. It took many attempts to get everything aligned to capture this shot. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A close-up of a spotted octopus against a black background, showing its curled tentacles and intricate patterns on its skin in shades of white, brown, and purple.
3rd Place, Jeon Min-seok (South Korea) | This bobtail squid was encountered during a night dive off Tongyeong Beach on Korea’s southern coast. As the cephalopod swam upwards, its arms opening wide, I managed to capture this picture, with the animal’s reflection on the surface. | www.unworldoceansday.org

Underwater Seascapes

Underwater view of tall, thin stems with pink, purple, and orange lily pads reaching toward the water’s surface, with sunlight filtering through the clear blue water above.
1st Place, Ysabela Coll (Dominican Republic) | Emerging from the darkness of a Mexican cenote, we entered this underwater garden teeming with colorful water lilies and small fish. The sudden contrast transformed the scene into a dreamlike world, where light, color, and life replaced the silence of the cave. Cenotes are vital freshwater reservoirs that sustain biodiversity and surrounding communities, yet pollution and climate change increasingly threaten their fragile balance. This moment of beauty is a reminder of our responsibility to protect these hidden ecosystems, where life depends on the purity and clarity of the water. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A large school of manta rays swims gracefully underwater, silhouetted against rays of sunlight filtering through the ocean’s surface above. The scene captures the peaceful movement and beauty of the marine animals in blue water.
2nd Place, Bingqian Gao (UK/China) | This expansive seascape captures one of the ocean’s most awe-inspiring spectacles: a “fever” of Munk’s devil rays (Mobula munkiana) gliding in unison in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. Bathed in the ethereal glow of the sun rays piercing the surface, the scene feels more celestial than aquatic. These vast migrations continuing to flourish beneath the surface remind us that protecting the ocean means safeguarding the ecosystems that depend on it. Listed as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List, these rays now receive CITES Appendix I protection, a crucial lifeline for the species and a promising sign for their recovery. | www.unworldoceansday.org
Two birds are captured flying low above the rippling surface of water, viewed from below, with a dramatic sky and clouds in the background. The water's surface creates a wavy, distorted border around the scene.
3rd Place, Eduardo Carrasco (Chile) | I fought the buoyancy of my 12-inch dome to capture the split second when these Heermann’s gulls, on the lookout for a meal, shattered the silvered surface. This view from below highlights the raw, dynamic boundary between the worlds above and below the water’s surface, illustrating a profound interdependence where the life in the sky is irrevocably tied to the health of the deep. | www.unworldoceansday.org

Above Water Seascapes

Two bears appear to be touching noses or play-fighting at the edge of a sunlit body of water, with bright sunlight creating a glowing, reflective effect and highlighting the bears’ outlines.
1st Place, Bruce Sudweeks | The life of a grizzly bear cub on Alaska’s Kodiak Island consists of eating, playing, and napping. These two cubs have started their day at sunrise, frolicking in the river that provides their meals. The river is full of salmon heading upstream to spawn as their last mortal act. The bear cubs will effortlessly select a few salmon to eat, thereby denying the fish the opportunity to reproduce. | www.unworldoceansday.org
A small cluster of cypress trees rises from calm water, perfectly reflecting the trees. Above, the Milky Way stretches across a star-filled night sky with a faint glow on the horizon.
2nd Place, James Ferrara (USA) | This single long-exposure image was taken at Blue Cypress Lake in my home state of Florida. After careful planning and a short boat ride in the middle of the night, I used a tripod in the water and light painting techniques to illuminate the cypress tree beneath the Milky Way above. Rapid population growth has transformed much of Florida’s once-pristine landscape into a patchwork of development and concrete, yet pockets of untouched wilderness still remain beyond the reach of urban sprawl and light pollution. This image is a tribute to the Florida that once was and still exists in fragments today. It serves as both a celebration and a reminder that these natural spaces are fragile, and their future depends on the care and responsibility we choose to take. | www.unworldoceansday.org
Aerial view of rectangular green agricultural fields divided by narrow paths, with several small boats scattered throughout the scene.
3rd Place, Miesa Grobbelaar (South Africa/Australia) | The seaweed farms of Nusa Lembongan and Ceningan, southeast of Bali, stretch across the water in rows of green. From above, I noticed how naturally the locals moved through them, not controlling the ocean but working in tune with it, with a sense of unity and collaboration, as if they were one with the sea. From the sky, it resembles a woven, living tapestry across the water, where human hands and nature are threaded together. | www.unworldoceansday.org

Since its founding in 2008, the United Nations World Oceans Day has been celebrated annually on June 8 to highlight the ocean’s significance to the health of the planet and all the people and animals on Earth. The photo competition, organized by Dive Photo Guide, offers a wonderful visual aspect to the yearly festivities and shows why the oceans are so precious.


Image credits: United Nations World Oceans Day. Photographers are credited in the image captions.

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