Julien Anton is the winner of the 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year award, presented by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain. After long hours of patience, the French photographer captured an extraordinary image picturing an adult male seahorse and two juveniles facing him. While it is the female seahorse that lays the eggs, she deposits them in the male’s pouch, where he carries them to term and births them. Brimming with emotion, this photograph taken in French Polynesia – where the species is becoming rare – illustrates the beauty and fragility of the marine ecosystem. This photograph was first named the winner of the Ocean Wildlife category before being elevated to the overall prize.
Women in the spotlight
Since 2021, the Female Fifty Fathoms Award has been honouring pioneers in the field of ocean photography. This year, British photographer Jenny Stock was the recipient of this distinction. She was nominated by her peers and judged by the Ocean Photographer of the Year jury. Also in the waters of French Polynesia, she captured a green sea turtle approaching her camera at shallow depth, playing with the sun’s rays and subtle flash effects to highlight the turtle’s details.
Focusing on the invisible
This year, Oceanographic and Blancpain created the new category Ocean Unseen: Hidden Worlds, won by Japanese photographer Mitsuna Kawai. During a winter dive in the Osezaki blackwater off the coast of his country, he trained his lens on a ribbonfish with a long, silvery body and dainty fins. The photograph also reveals the presence of small, gelatinous creatures called salps, which feed on particles suspended in the ocean. It fully reflects the ambition of this category: namely to reveal the little-known underwater world.
Several other photographers were honoured in various categories – Human Connection, Adventure, Conservation Impact, Conservation Hope and Ocean Fine Art. The award-winning images illustrate the ecological and emotional wealth of the marine world and the ties that bind it to humankind.
The winners were designated by the jury of the Ocean Photographer of the Year award, notably including renowned French ocean photographer Laurent Ballestra and a delegation from Blancpain led by its CEO, Marc A. Hayek.