Winners Gallery

A mesmerising spectacle beneath the waves: Like clockwork, thousands of corals spanning hundreds of kilometres synchronise their efforts to reproduce, releasing egg and sperm bundles into the open sea. “Capturing coral spawning is no small feat, demanding precision and patience as it unfolds fleetingly, occurring once a year, on a specific night of a particular month, and within a narrow time window of mere minutes,” explains Shlesinger. “This image stands as a testament to an ongoing scientific documentary journey, where the vibrant nightlife and intricate reproductive rituals of corals and other reef dwellers in the northern Red Sea unfold. I dedicated over 300 nights to unveiling the secrets of the corals’ major reproduction season. To immortalise the underwater spectacle, I used a slow shutter speed, transforming the coral spawning into an ethereal display akin to an underwater fireworks show.”