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This year, as part of its Ocean Commitment – an initiative encompassing all the brand’s efforts to help preserve the oceans – Blancpain reiterated its commitment to the Ocean Photographer of the Year competition, which rewards the most remarkable ocean photos.
To mark the occasion, Blancpain unveiled the name of this year’s grand prize winner and the winner of the Female Fifty Fathoms award, both selected from over 15,000 entries in all disciplines (underwater, on water and drone photography).
This year, Yury Ivanov won the title of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 for his photograph of two amphipods feeding in the waters off Bali, Indonesia. This striking image of two “ladybugs of the sea” won over the jury with the simplicity of its message: the ocean is a fascinating, colourful place teeming with life of all sizes (including these two amphipods measuring just 3mm).
Presented for the fifth consecutive year by Blancpain, the Female Fifty Fathoms Award encourages women to share their vision of the underwater world, acting as a vector of inspiration. Judged by the jury and a Blancpain delegation led by Marc A. Hayek, President & CEO, the candidates highlighted the beauty of our planet in a unique way. This year’s Female Fifty Fathoms Award went to Chinese Jialing Cai, a marine biologist, blackwater photographer and science communicator specialised in revealing the world of zooplankton.
This year’s photographs showcased epic images of wildlife, including a droooling dragon, torpedo-like penguins, a puffin desperately trying to evade a thief, a stingray atop a billowing sand-cloud, the mountain range-like ruffles of a Weddell seal’s fur coat and a juvenile candy crab ruling over its territory. The relationship between man and the ocean has also been immortalised, notably with a gravity-defying surfer, the brutal reality of whaling in the Faroe Islands, as well as a team of conservationists attempting to save a beached whale.
The Ocean Photographer of the Year, presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain, has a simple mission: to shine a light on the wonder and fragility of our blue planet and to celebrate the photographers giving it a voice. The competition is a cornerstone of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment. The programme is composed of three interconnected pillars: raising awareness of the ocean’s beauty, supporting scientific research on ecosystems and underwater phenomena, as well as taking concrete conservation actions such as helping to create marine protected areas around the world.
The first Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 exhibition will open at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney on 6 November, followed by several additional venues in early 2026.
October 16, 2025