Four First Place Winners Selected from Thousands of Global Photo Submissions Inspired by the Celebration’s 2025 Theme “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us”
The winners of the twelfth annual Photo Competition for United Nations World Oceans Day were announced today surrounding the United Nations World Oceans Day celebration in Nice, France. A panel of world-renowned judges selected four (4) first place winners from thousands of global entries made by both amateur and professional photographers. This year’s competition featured the recurring categories of: Big and Small Underwater Faces, Underwater Seascapes, and Above Water Seascapes. The category of Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us was newly added in celebration of the 2025 UN World Oceans Day theme sharing the same name. Each hailing from a different country, the first place winners for 2025 included: Andrey Nosik (Russia), Dani Escayola (Spain), Leander Nardin (Austria), and Rachel Moore (USA). The first place winners, along with the second and third place winners, from every category will be featured in the competition’s virtual gallery at www.unworldoceansday.org starting on 8 June.
Historically hosted at the UN Headquarters in New York, this year’s United Nations World Oceans Day celebration moved overseas, taking place ahead of the UN Ocean Conference which will also be hosted in Nice, France from June 9-13. The winning photographs will be presented live during the United Nations Ocean Conference, during a panel event on 11 June at the Agora in the La Baleine (Green Zone). The winning images will also be displayed in gallery exhibitions at NEO VogelART LAB (Nice) and at The Explorer’s Club (New York) throughout the week.
All Winning Photos Per Category & Corresponding Captions Can be Viewed Here.
* All photos must include the caption with photographer credit listed per photo, as well as www.unworldoceansday.org to be published.
The 2025 photo competition was coordinated in collaboration between the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, DivePhotoGuide (DPG), Oceanic Global, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. Since its inception in 2014, the competition has been curated by underwater and wildlife photographer Ellen Cuylaerts, and judged by a world-renowned panel of judges. Judges for 2025 included: underwater photographer Ipah Uid Lynn (Malaysia), underwater photographer William Tan (Singapore), wildlife photographer Vanessa Mignon (France), and underwater photographer Marcello Di Francesco (Italy).
The Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day is a free-and-open public competition that calls on photographers and artists from around the world to communicate the beauty of the ocean and the importance of the respective United Nations World Oceans Day theme each year. All winners and participants in the competition signed a charter of 14 commitments regarding ethics in photography. Winning photos from 2025 as well as from previous years can be viewed via the virtual gallery at www.unworldoceansday.org/photos/2025-photo-competition.
Related Article: UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition 2024 Winners
This Year’s Categories:
CATEGORY 1: Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us
Winner: Rachel Moore, USA – This photo, taken in Mo’orea, French Polynesia in 2024, captures the eye of a humpback whale named Sweet Girl, just days before her tragic death. Four days after I captured this intimate moment, she was struck and killed by a fast-moving ship. Her death serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the 20,000 whales lost to ship strikes every year. We are using her story to advocate for stronger protections, petitioning for stricter speed laws around Tahiti and Mo’orea during whale season. I hope Sweet Girl’s legacy will spark real change to protect these incredible animals and prevent further senseless loss.
CATEGORY 2: Big and Small Underwater Faces
Winner: Andrey Nosik, Russia – This photo of a Japanese warbonnet (Chirolophis japonicus) was captured in the Sea of Japan, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Vladivostok, Russia. I found the ornate fish at a depth of about 30 meters (100 feet), under the stern of a shipwreck. This species does not appear to be afraid of divers—on the contrary, it seems to enjoy the attention—and it even tried to sit on the dome port of my camera.
CATEGORY 3: Underwater Seascapes
Winner: Dani Escayola, Spain – This year, I had the incredible opportunity to visit a jellyfish lake during a liveaboard trip around southern Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Being surrounded by millions of jellyfish, which have evolved to lose their stinging ability due to the absence of predators, was one of the most breathtaking experiences I’ve ever had.
CATEGORY 4: Above Water Seascapes
Winner: Leander Nardin, Austria – A serene lake cradled by arid dunes, where a gentle stream breathes life into the heart of Mother Earth’s creation: Captured from an airplane, this image reveals the powerful contrasts and hidden beauty where land and ocean meet, reminding us that the ocean is the source of all life and that everything in nature is deeply connected. The location is a remote stretch of coastline near Shark Bay, Western Australia.
