The finalists for the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 have been officially revealed, showcasing  breathtaking images that celebrate the ocean’s beauty and highlight the urgent need to protect it. 

This year’s submissions include extraordinary moments of wild ocean wonder, such as a marine iguana ‘mid-sneeze’, a troupe of skeleton shrimps that has colonised a gorgonian coral, and a spaceship-like jellyfish that appears to be departing Earth’s atmosphere. 

Our species’ connection with the ocean is celebrated in the Human Connection and Adventure categories with images of audacious surfers in huge waves, bold divers in cavernous systems, and artisanal fishers resurrecting traditional fishing methods. 

That same human connection is challenged by images that highlight our impact on the ocean. Subjects  include climate change-induced coral bleaching, the effects of plastic pollution on marine mammals, and the killing of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands, in a hunt known as the grindadráp.  

Category winners, along with the overall Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025, will be announced  in September.

Ocean Photographer of the Year Director, Will Harrison, said: “In the midst of a deepening climate and  biodiversity crisis on our blue planet, ocean photography has never been more important. These images  are far more than just beautiful – they are powerful visual testaments to what we stand to lose, and they remind us of the urgent need for protection.

“Ocean Photographer of the Year continues to be a vital  platform for sharing critical stories from above and below the waterline. We’re in awe of this year’s finalists and look forward to revealing the winners to the world next month. Their work has the power to inspire change.”

A total of nine categories were judged, including the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Hope), the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Impact), the Ocean Adventure Photographer of the Year, the Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year, the Ocean Portfolio Award, the Young Ocean Photographer of the Year, as well as the Human Connection Award.

In previous years, the BBC has said about the competition: “The Ocean Photographer of the Year celebrates some of the most incredible underwater photographers and the awe-inspiring world that exists in the world’s oceans.” 

 Ocean Photographer of the Year is presented by Oceanographic Magazine and Blancpain.

The category winners and the overall winner, The Ocean Photographer of the Year, will be announced in September. Follow OPY awards on Instagram for daily updates and all the news as it unfolds.

In our Winners Gallery, you can now meet the photographers and discover the incredible stories behind the finalist shots.