Diminutive Seahorses Top the 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest
The annual competition highlights some of the most beloved, impressive, and little-seen aspects of our oceans. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Diminutive Seahorses Top the 2026 Ocean Photographer of the Year Contest appeared first on Colossal .
In Southern California, residents witnessed the effects of climate change as deep swells from a hurricane combined with king tides, causing erosion along the coast. While beaches are typically replenished with sand, recent events saw some of the region's beaches disappear within a few days.
The Ocean Photographer of the Year contest, organized by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain, aims to showcase the beauty and lesser-known aspects of the world's oceans. This year, the winners were announced, with Julien Anton taking top honors for his black-and-white portrait of a seahorse and two tiny juveniles.
British photographer Jenny Stock won the Female Fifty Fathoms Award, recognizing a woman's exceptional work in ocean photography. In other categories, Gergo Rugli won the Adventure category for capturing dolphins riding waves alongside surfers, while Steven Lopez won for a close-up of a giant black sea bass with parasitic copepods attached to its eye.
Jenny Stock also won for her Female Fifty Fathoms Award-winning image of sea lion pups in Western Australia's Jurien Bay Marine Park, while Rui Filipe Cardoso Duarte won the Human Connection category for a photo of volunteers, surfers, and conservationists working together to help stranded whales in Cape Verde.
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- Winners of Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 theatlantic.com
