A black-and-white photograph of an adult seahorse surrounded by two barely-visible juveniles has been named the overall winner of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 competition, presented by Oceanographic magazine and Blancpain.
A Farewell That May Not Be One
French photographer Julien Anton captured the image in the shallow, seaweed-filled waters around Moorea, French Polynesia, during a rebreather dive. In the photo, the two juveniles appear to pause and look back toward the adult before swimming off into the dark water beyond the frame.
Whether the three are actually related is unknown, but the composition gives the moment an unmistakably intimate quality. Notably, it’s the male seahorse that carries and gives birth to the young — a detail that adds weight to the image’s quiet, farewell-like framing, as if the adult were sending the juveniles out into the world alone.
Hours of Searching, No Guarantee of Success
Anton described the difficulty of getting the shot: “We spent countless hours searching in difficult conditions, with no guarantee of finding a single seahorse. That is what made the moment so extraordinary — when the juveniles turned back towards the adult, it felt like something far beyond what I had dared to hope for.”
He credited local knowledge for making the photograph possible, thanking “the local residents, naturalists and fishermen of Tahiti and Mo’orea whose knowledge made this image possible.” Anton, who has a background in high-level sport rather than formal photography training, said his approach to the craft is straightforward: “I am not a professional photographer; for me, photography is simply how I share what I see and feel. My hope is that this image can serve as a bridge between science, conservation and a world that deserves to know what is at stake.”
Suliman Alatiqi/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A Silence in the Judging Room
Will Harrison, founder and director of Ocean Photographer of the Year, described the judges’ reaction to seeing the image for the first time: “When Julien Anton’s image first appeared on screen, the judging panel fell silent. It is an image that demands reflection, pause for thought, and it certainly got that from us.”
Harrison also pointed to the emotional projection the photo invites: “The image is full of quiet energy, even if some of that comes from us humans imprinting our own emotions on the photograph: the bow of the father’s head, the juveniles turning back towards him, the generational gap and the unknown futures of the newborns. What kind of ocean are we leaving for those who come after us?”
Théo Guillaume/Ocean Photographer of the Year
Technical Details Behind the Shot
Anton captured the image using a Panasonic Lumix GH7 in a SeaFrogs housing, paired with BigBlueLights strobes (two 36,000-lumen units and one 12,000-lumen unit). The final exposure was shot at 1/320 sec, f/5.6, and ISO 400 — settings suited to freezing motion in low, filtered underwater light while preserving fine detail on the seahorses’ textured skin.
Andrea Michelutti/Ocean Photographer of the Year
A Competition Built on Scale and Scarcity
The 2026 edition of Ocean Photographer of the Year drew more than 15,000 entries from photographers around the world. Anton’s image was first named winner of the Ocean Wildlife category before being elevated to the overall top prize.
Organizers noted that the contest exists partly to highlight how little of the ocean has actually been explored — only around 5% of the ocean overall, and a far smaller fraction of the deep seafloor, has been directly observed by humans. Seahorses themselves have become increasingly rare in French Polynesian waters, which is part of why the image required such an extensive search to capture.
Benjamin Yávar/Ocean Photographer of the Year
Frequently Asked Questions
Are seahorses actually endangered?
Many seahorse species face population pressure from habitat loss, bycatch in fishing operations, and demand in traditional medicine and aquarium trades, though conservation status varies significantly by species and region.
Why does the male seahorse carry the young?
Seahorses are one of the few animal groups where the male becomes pregnant — females transfer eggs into a specialized brood pouch on the male’s abdomen, where he fertilizes and carries them until birth.
What is Ocean Photographer of the Year?
It’s an annual international photography competition, presented by Oceanographic magazine and watch brand Blancpain, recognizing standout imagery across categories including wildlife, adventure, human connection, and conservation storytelling.
Who were the other major category winners in 2026?
Notable winners included Gergo Rugli (Adventure category, dolphins riding waves with surfers in Sydney), Rui Filipe Cardoso Duarte (Human Connection, a whale rescue in Cape Verde), and Jenny Stock, who received the Female Fifty Fathoms Award for her broader body of ocean photography work.
Sources: CNN, Oceanographic Magazine, PetaPixel, and My Modern Met, all covering the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 announcement.
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