Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 Winners!

Editor’s Note: We are delighted to share the UPY 2026 results with you. In our next regularly scheduled newsletter, we’ll feature a competition roundup showcasing our favorite images from the "Big Three" (UPY, DPG, and Ocean Art), along with an exclusive photographer interview you won't want to miss.

Elephant Seal Pups Judged World's Best Underwater Photograph

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 7900 pictures entered by underwater photographers from around the world.

“Once their pups are weaned, elephant seal mothers abandon them ashore,” explained 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.”

“The lives of elephant seals traverse land and sea; they are born on wild shores, but thrive in frigid waters,” added chair of the judging panel, marine ecologist Dr Alex Mustard. “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. Elephant seals were hunted right to the brink of extinction. 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.”

Ocean babies starred in several of the contest’s international categories including “Clownfish Hatchout” by Kazushige Horiguchi from Japan, which remarkably shows the moment anemonefish eggs hatch, with the parent watching on. “I have been photographing clownfish for over three years, but this single image is the only one that truly succeeds,” said Horiguchi, who won the Behaviour category.

Cecile Gabillon Barats, from France, won the Wide Angle category, sponsored by Scuba Finders, with her characterful portrait of a sperm whale calf. “The exuberance of youth bursts out of this photo. Sperm whales live strange and secret lives, but we now know that youngsters can be full of mischief,” commented Mustard.

Tom Shlesinger, from Israel, won the Coral Reefs category with a coral spawning the next generation. There is a tiny window to capture such an image as Shlesinger explained, “this coral spawns just once a year, on one specific night and just for a couple of minutes.” Shlesinger also risked a long exposure, to show how the spawn was swept away by the water and to give the impression of a meteor shower.

Sam Blount from the United States was named as ‘PADI’ Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 for his photo “Lunging Leopard”, for his symmetrical composition of the jaws of a leopard seal, one of Antarctica’s top predators. “Leopard seals wield an astonishing array of dominance displays,” explained Blount. “This one put them all to use, darting around me with effortless power. Watching that massive mouth lined with sharp teeth charge straight toward me is a thrill I'll never forget.”

“Probably the best leopard seal shots I’ve seen,” commented contest judge Tobias Friedrich. “To capture such a perfect composition with delicate lighting, in such an intense moment, is so impressive.”

Niclas Andersson from Sweden took top honors in the Wrecks category with a haunting perspective of the IJN Nagato. A battleship of immense historical weight, the Nagato served as Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto’s flagship during the Pearl Harbor attack before meeting its end as a target during the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. "Today, the Nagato rests upside down at roughly 52 meters, making it a demanding but highly rewarding dive," Andersson explained. To capture the massive twin stern guns in the silty, low-visibility environment, he utilized a four-person team to carefully stage the lighting and manage buoyancy. "On descent, divers are greeted by four enormous propellers, but the standout features are these guns. This image was carefully staged to maximize safety and reduce silt."

The technical execution of such a deep and difficult shot did not go unnoticed by the panel. "A powerful image of powerful subjects complemented by well-placed lighting," commented judge Peter Rowlands. "It produces an image which grabs one’s attention immediately and still has plenty of subtle detail to entertain the eye on repeated viewings. A credit to the team."

The Macro category was won by SeongCheol Cho from the Republic of Korea, with a vibrant and meticulously composed study of a commensal shrimp nestled within a spiral whip coral. For Cho, the shot represented the culmination of a long-held ambition. "I encountered a commensal shrimp living within a naturally spiralling whip coral—something I had long hoped to see," he explained. By experimenting with continuous light for the first time, Cho used red and blue tones to contrast against the deep green of the coral, creating a sense of visual energy around his subject. "I wanted to create a sense of intense beauty combined with visual turbulence, while expressing the shrimp’s stillness at the centre."

The artistic approach was highly praised by the judging panel for its innovative use of light. "Creative macro is hugely popular in underwater photography," noted judge Dr. Alex Mustard. "This is the very best of the genre, first finding an amazing creature and then elevating it to an artistic vision using only the kiss of innovative lighting."

The Black & White category was won by Shunsuke Nakano from Japan, with an evocative study of nature reclaiming a man-made relic off Sado Island. By focusing on a square opening in a shipwreck, Nakano captured a literal "window into history" now overflowing with life. "Light enters the wreck through a window, a square cut into history and now taken over by life," Nakano explained. He chose the monochrome medium to highlight the juxtaposition between the industrial and the organic. "Gorgonians fan outward like frozen breath, turning rust into art. Between them, a lone wrasse punctuates the frame, providing movement in an otherwise still composition. The window no longer looks out; it invites us to look in."

The composition's balance and timing were highlights for the judging panel. "The ocean framed," noted judge Dr. Alex Mustard. "Simply a perfectly observed scene for an underwater monochrome image. But the image also captures the decisive moment. I suspect there was also a lot of patience waiting for the wrasse to so perfectly complete the composition."

The Compact category was won by Andrea Michelutti from Italy, with a breathtaking composition captured in a cold Alpine lake near his home. The image features a freshwater crayfish framed against a striking transition of green algae and deep blue spring water, with the surrounding mountain peaks visible through Snell’s Window. "Life is sparse, but I spotted a freshwater crayfish among the aquatic plants," Michelutti recounted. The shot required physical intuition as much as technical skill: "With the housing too low to use the LCD, I had to shoot blind, holding the camera in one hand and one strobe in the other... The composition I'd planned for years is built on the transition from green vegetation to deep blue water."

The judges were impressed by the technical ambition achieved with a compact system. "A distinctive image with complementary colours, unambiguous composition and a great upward angle up through Snell’s window to the distant mountains," said judge Peter Rowlands. "A compliment to the capabilities of compacts in the right hands."

The UPY Contest aims to promote underwater photography and in 2026 includes a Smartphone category to encourage more people to try making images underwater, using the camera most people carry in their pocket – their phone. Jack Ho from China won the category that is sponsored by DIVEVOLK, with “The Roar” a photo of a yawning hairy frogfish taken with a Vivo phone. “I found this well-camouflaged frogfish patiently lying in wait for prey on the sandy seabed in Indonesia,” said Ho. “I also waited patiently for at least 15 minutes to capture the moment it opened its huge mouth.”

The Underwater Photographer of the Year contest is based in the UK, and celebrates underwater life in the UK. “2025 has been called the Year of the Octopus in British waters,” explained judge Mustard. “Octopus are native to Britain, but usually very rare, but last summer there was a population bloom and as expected lots of photographers encountered them too.” Tom Ingram won the British Waters Macro category with “Mum” showing a female octopus guarding her eggs in Cornwall. “Octopus are the most dedicated parents, the female guards the eggs for many weeks, stops feeding and dies soon after she’s ensured they have safely hatched,” said Ingram.

The British Waters Living Together category, sponsored by The Crown Estate, was won by Valerie Reid from the Netherlands with a vibrant tribute to the marine life of the Scottish Hebrides. Returning to her native West Coast after many years, Reid found the perfect subject beneath a pier, where man-made steel piles have been transformed into a thriving ecosystem. "The man-made steel piles provide a great substrate for marine life to grow and flourish," Reid noted. Using a close-focus wide-angle technique and an extreme upward angle, she captured the vertical scale of the structure adorned with soft corals. "I managed to find a pile where the dead man’s fingers soft coral had its polyps out... I dedicate this image to the late Martin Edge, who taught and inspired me to appreciate the photographic opportunities under piers and jetties."

The precision of the shot’s symmetry and color balance stood out to the judging panel. "A stunning combination of colour and light, both expertly controlled in a flawless composition," remarked judge Dr. Alex Mustard.

The British Waters Wide Angle category was won by Evan Johnston from the United Kingdom, who captured a rare and mysterious behavioral display by the world's second-largest fish. Off the coast of Scotland, Johnston witnessed a group of basking sharks transitioning from surface feeding to a rhythmic, circular formation. "These sharks had stopped feeding and formed a tight shoal, before breaking off and swimming in slow rhythmic circles, eventually spiralling off into the deep," Johnston explained. This behavior, known as a "Torus," is thought to be a courtship ritual. "Over the course of the summer we observed multiple toruses from the boat... It felt like an ancient ritual that happens out of sight from the world and was an incredible moment to witness and capture."

The judges highlighted the biological significance of the image alongside its visual impact. "The sea still reveals its secrets slowly and the discovery of these toruses is the latest revelation," remarked judge Peter Rowlands. "Traditionally, single basking shark shots were celebrated but now images of several of these large sharks, not feeding but possibly building up to a mating ritual, are a most exciting phenomenon visually and biologically. A first in UK waters."

In the same contest, Malaysian photographer, Khaichuin Sim, was named ‘Save Our Seas Foundation’ Marine Conservation Photographer of the Year 2026, with his photo ‘Innocence Meets Tradition’, depicting the annual pilot whale hunt in the Faroe Islands. “Seen by locals as a cultural heritage and source of food, it is condemned globally for its brutality and impact on wildlife,” commented Sim. “A young boy sits atop a slain whale amid blood-red waters, a haunting reflection of how tradition, identity, and ethics collide.” “A sad but powerful image which asks more questions than it answers,” said contest judge Peter Rowlands. “The message must be that traditions such as these have no place in modern society. Photography has the power to bring change.”

About Underwater Photographer of the Year

Underwater Photographer of the Year is an annual competition, based in the UK, that celebrates photography beneath the surface of the ocean, lakes, rivers and even swimming pools, and attracts entries from all around the world. In 2026 the contest attracted 7934 underwater pictures and is truly international, with the awarded photographers coming from 28 different countries. The contest has 14 categories, testing photographers with themes such as Macro, Wide Angle, Behaviour and Wreck photography, and includes three categories for photos taken specifically in British waters. The winners were announced in an award ceremony in central London, hosted by The Crown Estate. This year’s judges were experienced underwater photographers Peter Rowlands, Tobias Friedrich and Dr Alex Mustard MBE. The contest was first run in 1965, when Phil Smith was named Underwater Photographer of the Year.
https://underwaterphotographeroftheyear.com/

About The Crown Estate

In managing the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, The Crown Estate works in partnership with customers and stakeholders to support the long-term sustainable development of the seabed. From awarding seabed rights to sharing their knowledge and data, their small expert team directly manage their relationships with customers and partners with a commitment to delivering high levels of customer service. The Crown Estate sponsor the British Waters Living Together category, host the UPY award ceremony and support an annual print display at the Go Diving show in the UK.
https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/