Winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023 competition (18 photos)

The annual photo competition organized by Oceanographic Magazine has once again summed up its results. The top prize went to marine biologist and amateur photographer Jialing Tsai, who took a photo of an Argonaut clam (also called a “paper boat”) floating on the debris immediately after a volcanic eruption in the Philippines. But other pictures are no less impressive!





Let's take a look at the winning photos in the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year competition.

1. Jialing Cai, overall winner in the category “Ocean Photographer of the Year”



A "paper boat" drifts at night on a piece of ocean debris after a volcanic eruption, Philippines

2. Florian Ledoux, winner in the category “Ocean Conservation - Impact”

A polar bear cub struggles with the fragility of melting ice. Spitsbergen, Norway

3. Andrey Savin, 2nd place in the “Ocean Photographer of the Year” nomination



A crab is in the center of an anemone swaying in the ocean current. Philippines

4. Merche Llobera, winner of the Female Fifty Fathoms category (the most inspiring women in ocean photography). Reward: the legendary Fifty Fathoms diving watch



Two manatees pose for a photograph. Florida

5. Nicholas Holton, 3rd place, Ocean Wildlife



A humpback whale lands gracefully on its back. Australia

6. Sirachai Arunrugstichai, Ocean Portfolio Award



A fisherman hooked a juvenile gray reef shark at night on the Burma Bank, a coastal plateau in the Andaman Sea. Myanmar

7. Todd Glaser, Ocean Adventure winner



While surfing the famous Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore, a rainbow appears. Oahu, Hawaii

8. Jarvis Smallman, Young Ocean Photographer of the Year



A bodyboarder paddles into the sea as large thunderclouds block the sun and create an electric blue effect on the wave. Western Australia

9. Sylvie Iyer, winner of the "Ocean Conservation - Hope" category



A manatee enjoys the crystal clear waters of the Homosassa River. Florida

10. Jack Pokoy, Ocean Wildlife Winner



The open mouth of a lizard fish shows what it last ate. Philippines

11. Jade Hoksbergen, winner in the category “Ocean Pictures”



The whale shark and its accompanying school of fish are attracted to the bright lights of fishermen. Maldives

12. Jingyi Wang, winner in the category “People and the Ocean”



Makeshift fishing fences. China

13. Craig Parry, 2nd place, Ocean Wildlife



The gentoo penguin, the fastest penguin species in the world, races through the water. Antarctica

14. Jeroen Hoekendijk, 3rd place in the category “People and the Ocean”



On a stormy, gray morning, a man encounters one of the victims of a mass whale stranding. Netherlands

15. Jules Casey, 2nd place in the “Ocean Conservation - Hope” category



Two pallid octopuses sit on a pipe that is part of an artificial reef built to attract octopuses and other marine life to the area. Australia

16. Gergo Rugli, 2nd place in the category “Ok”"Ean Adventures"



A surfer confronts a strong wave against a sunset background. Sydney, Australia

17. Alvaro Lopez, 3rd place in the category “Ocean Photographer of the Year”



The whale is caught in the rigging and its fins are damaged, but it continues to fight. Mexico