Ocean Photographer of the Year prizes
Alongside the opportunity to have your work seen and admired by hundreds of millions of people around the world, OPY offers photographers the chance to win some unique and useful prizes, courtesy of a select range of prize-giving supporters.
Included this year is £10,000 in cash, the opportunity to join an Ocean Census expedition as a commissioned photographer, the chance to spend a week diving in South Africa’s kelp forests with a champion freediver, lots of epic ocean equipment to keep the elements at bay on your next shoot, and, of course, copies of the Edition 2024 coffee table book.
Some prizes are specific to certain categories, others will be distributed to category winners on a ‘draft style’ basis, whereby each prize-giving supporter chooses, in turn, the most suitable photographer for their prize (e.g. a thermal jacket for a photographer who regularly shoots in the poles, or cutting edge freediving fins for a photographer who shoots exclusively on breath-hold).
Read on for more information about this year’s prize-givers, as well as the prizes they are providing.
The offer from each prize-giver:
Oceanographic Magazine
- £10,000 in prize money: £2,000 to the overall winner and £1,000 to each category winner (with the exception of FFF).
- A one-week take-over of the OPY Instagram feed for the overall winner.
- Inclusion of all winners and a selection of Highly Commended photographers in Oceanographic Magazine’s Behind the Lens.
- Placement of selected photographs in exhibitions around the world (venues announced throughout 2024).
- A copy of the Ocean Photographer of the Year Edition 2024 coffee table book, for all category winners.
- A complimentary 1-year subscription to Oceanographic Magazine.
Blancpain
- A Fifty Fathoms timepiece for the winner of the Female Fifty Fathoms Award.
Canon
- Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless camera and RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM lens to one category winner.
Ocean Census
- Ocean Census is offering one category winner the opportunity to join the team as a commissioned photographer on an upcoming expedition. (2023's photographer of choice, Jialing Cai, will soon be boarding an Ocean Census ship bound for the Arctic Ocean!)
Agulhas
- Founders Hanli Prinsloo (record-breaking freediver) and Peter Marshall, in partnership with Steppes Travel, will host the overall winner, the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024, for a 1-week all expenses paid 'freediving and photography week' in Cape Town. The week will be based in the picturesque village of Kalk Bay, where Agulhas has its HQ. A new ocean location will be explored every day, including the best local freediving and scuba diving spots, as well as Agulhas's local kelp forest.
- Cutting-edge, low-profile Mokarran mask and Cepedianus snorkel for all category winners, and an innovative AGULHAS waterproof backpack for their favourite two images.
Steppes Travel
- Steppes Travel, in partnership with Agulhas founders Hanli Prinsloo and Peter Marshall, will host the overall winner, the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2024, for a 1-week all expenses paid 'freediving and photography week' in Cape Town. The week will be based in the picturesque village of Kalk Bay, where Agulhas has its HQ. A new ocean location will be explored every day, including the best local freediving and scuba diving spots, as well as Agulhas's local kelp forest.
Isotta
- £1,000 credit on Isotta underwater camera equipment for the winner of the Young Ocean Photographer of the Year.
ThruDark
- £1,000 credit towards a ThruDark apparel and equipment 'loadout'.
Finisterre
- A Nautilus Crossbody Bag to all category winners.
- A Nautilus Crossbody Bag, plus a package of socks, beanie and waterbottle, to the overall winner.
Shackleton
Epic prize-offering to be announced during submission window. Watch this space!