Overview
- Organizers released the 2026 finalist list by press release after receiving thousands of entries and said the images surface urgent ocean stories.
- The new Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds category directs attention to microhabitats and cryptic species such as translucent shrimp, urchin shrimp, and brooding male cardinalfish.
- Finalists span multiple categories and techniques, including underwater, drone, coastal, fine art, wildlife, and conservation photography.
- Standout shortlisted images highlighted in published galleries include two orcas carrying a humpback calf and a giant oceanic sunfish, with outlets like The Atlantic and CNN running credited image galleries.
- The contest, run with Oceanographic Magazine, serves as a platform for photographers to document human impacts like aquaculture and warming-linked species shifts, and the winners will be announced in September.