The winners of the 11th photo competition organized as part of the United Nations World Oceans Day were announced today in New York.
Five winners, in five different categories, were selected from thousands of global entries from amateur and professional photographers. The 2024 categories reflected the theme of the United Nations World Oceans Day « Reviving New Depths » and included: Underwater Landscapes, Small Island Developing States, Underwater Portraits of Great and Small, Reviving New Depths, and Seascapes Above Water. The 2024 jury was composed of photographer and dive center manager Mohamed Rifshan Shaheem, cave diving instructor and explorer Julia Gugelmeier, photographer Mayumi Takeuchi-Ebbins, and photographer Tom St George.
This contest invites photographers and artists from around the world each year to communicate the beauty of the ocean and highlight the theme of the United Nations World Oceans Day. All participants signed a charter of 14 commitments concerning photography ethics. The winners of the first, second, and third places in each category will be exhibited at the UN World Oceans Day in 2025.
The eleventh annual photo contest is organized by underwater and wildlife photographer Ellen Cuylaerts and coordinated in collaboration with the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Dive Photo Guide, Oceanic Global, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Nausicaá.
2024 Winners
Reviving New Depths
1st Prize – Renee Capozzola (United States)
This large abandoned fishing net was found on a reef about 30 meters deep in Kona, Hawaii. Volunteers from the Ocean Defenders Alliance, also known as ODA, retrieved this net with great coordination, using lift bags to hoist the net onto a boat provided by Kona Honu Divers. Earlier in the day, the ODA had already removed large amounts of fishing lines entangled on the reef. Unfortunately, our ocean suffers from the presence of great quantities of debris, which can destroy reefs, entangle marine life, and release harmful chemicals. A big thank you to organizations like ODA that help clean our oceans and preserve marine ecosystems for future generations.
2nd Prize – Patrick Webster (United States)
Andrew Kim, a kelp restoration officer, removes purple sea urchins Strongylocentrotus purpuratus from an experimental site to determine whether divers can properly defend and restore kelp forests devastated by ocean warming. Since 1980, kelp forests around Monterey Bay have lost about 90% of their canopy. More recently, in early 2013, an ‘exceptional ecological storm’ hit the kelp, stressing the forests and emboldening its grazers in the absence of their predators. The loss of kelp along the coast has sounded the alarm, rallying many organizations and dedicated divers who have attempted to become the gardeners of these forests. By playing the role of substitute for the sea otter, sunflower star, and algae in their absence, these inspired coastal guardians hope to strengthen the coastline and give it a chance to fight for a more resilient ecosystem in the face of climate change.
3rd Prize – Sina Ritter (Germany)
Guiding Fins captures an emotional scene in Costa Rica where local environmental defenders release hawksbill turtles into the ocean. This image brings us closer to the delicate hands of one of them, who carefully escorts these tiny and vulnerable creatures towards the vastness of the sea, their ultimate refuge. This image highlights the crucial role of humans in protecting the wildlife and flora of our planet, as these newborns navigate a world replete with predators and natural challenges. It is a vivid reminder of the delicate thread of life and how targeted conservation efforts can greatly increase the survival rate of these young turtles.
Underwater Landscapes
1st Prize – Taryn Schultz (Canada)
This image was taken in Baja California at Isla Islotes, a place known for its sea lion colony. On the day we dove here, a large number of sardines had taken refuge near the island, creating an exciting spectacle in the water with pelicans and cormorants, as seen in this photo, flying and torpedoing into the water. Moments before this photo, the sardines were moving very quickly, so I turned around because I knew something was coming, and I was so happy to capture this heart shape formed by the sardines as they fled from the cormorants.
2nd Prize – Daniel Sly (Australia)
During the winter months, hundreds of thousands of giant cuttlefish (Sepia Apama) gather in the shallow waters of the upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The cuttlefish come here with one thing in mind: to mate! The gathering of these cuttlefish favors male specimens in a ratio of about eight to one, so competition for the limited number of females can be fierce. In the foreground of this image, a large male has completely enveloped a smaller female with his arms, while in the background, several other groups of males can be seen challenging each other for the opportunity to mate with the neighboring female.
3rd Prize – Vanessa Mignon (Australia)
I traveled to Baja California hoping to witness the gathering of Mobula munkiana. One day, we discovered a whirlpool of this species in deep blue waters. They swirled and swam together like in a hypnotic dance. Seeing such a large concentration can suggest that the populations are doing well. Unfortunately, Mobula munkiana is listed on the IUCN Red List as a vulnerable species.
Small Island Developing States
1st Prize – Andrea Marandino (Brazil)
This image was taken in Abatao, North Tarawa, Kiribati. The children of Kiribati have a close relationship with the ocean and play in the water from a young age. Tarawa, the capital of Kiribati, is a narrow strip of land situated between the Pacific and a large lagoon dependent on a freshwater source. The children are always smiling and willingly interact with the rare visitors, but their future is uncertain. The coral atolls of Kiribati are very low, with a maximum elevation of 3 to 4 meters above sea level, making it one of the countries most threatened by climate change.
2nd Prize – Andrea Marandino (Brazil)
This photo was taken in the village of Korotongo, on the southern coast of Viti Levu, in the Fiji Islands. The woman in the photo, Mele, fishes for sea urchins with two cousins – an activity they regularly practice together for their own consumption. She opens the sea urchins to extract the edible part, which she mixes in a bucket with lemon and chili. They invited me to join them (classic Fijian hospitality), and we ate them fresh on the beach, with bread and fruits. It was delicious and is one of my best memories of Fiji.
3rd Prize – Stuart Chape (Australia)
The large village of Haghalu is situated on the southern coast of Ngela Sule Island, in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. The elevation of the village ranges from 1 to 5 meters above sea level and is surrounded by coral reefs and deeper sea that support the village’s livelihoods and food security by providing marine resources. Like all coastal villages in the Pacific islands, Haghalu is vulnerable to climate change, particularly rising waters and extreme weather events.
Underwater Portraits of Great and Small
1st Prize – Mathieu Marcias (France)
This photograph is a portrait of a leafy sea dragon taken at Rapid Bay, South Australia, where it is endemic. I was absolutely charmed by this creature the first time I saw it in a photo, and I dreamed of meeting one. Although the first attempt was a failure, I decided to come back a few months later, and my dream came true. I was so happy to encounter this animal, which is so cute and almost unreal, with its amazing camouflage ability. Its shyness was a great challenge to capture this portrait, but I am delighted with the result.
2nd Prize – George Kuowei Kao
A dive revealed a hard coral hosting blennies, whose charm rivals that of marmots, through my new lens. As I captured their image, creativity pushed me to push the boundaries of the scene. Using a nozzle, I orchestrated a dramatic and overexposed face-off between two blennies. Jason, my guide, with a heart-shaped gesture, transformed an ordinary look into a shared vision. This photo, a fusion of spontaneous nature and a flash of inspiration, is the result of this dive.
3rd Prize – Irene Middleton (New Zealand)
This is a juvenile female blanket octopus (Ocythoe tuberculata), a pelagic octopus species that typically lives in mid-waters about 200 m deep, where it is a favorite prey of lancetfish and Risso’s dolphins. Juveniles are occasionally found near the surface, where they often use large salps for protection. I saw a handful of salps that day at the Poor Knights Islands off New Zealand’s northeast coast, but this was the only free-swimming juvenile I encountered.
Seascapes Above Water
1st Prize – Michael Sswat (Germany)
Sitting on a rocky shore in Norway watching the northern lights and their reflection on the sea surface with friends – what more could you want! As it turns out, we even had more beautiful nature to discover, since earlier in the day, we had dived through canyons in amazing kelp forests, encountering lobsters and nudibranchs, in the Namsfjord, off the village of Utvørda, north of Trondheim.
2nd Prize – Emmett Sparling (Canada)
For our first night in the Tuamotu (French Polynesia), we stopped at Tahanea, an uninhabited atoll located in the heart of this beautiful archipelago. The evening passed without wind, and the ocean turned to glass. The next morning, the water remained just as clear, and a group of blacktip reef sharks patrolled around our boat. Rainbows and sharks are common subjects in the Tuamotu, two things I will never get used to.
3rd Prize – Romeo Bodolai (Hungary)
A fisherman attempts to catch the daily food for his family using a traditional technique in Myanmar. The photo was taken on Inle Lake in 2019. I was fortunate with the beautiful warm lights that add an extra touch, a glory to this beautiful moment.
