Incredible images showcased in Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 awards
(CNN) — Australian photographer Matty Smith has been named Underwater Photographer of the Year (UPY) 2026 for his image of a pair of southern elephant seal pups in a rockpool on the Falkland Islands.
Named “Rockpool Rookies,” the photograph was named the overall winner of the awards, which received more than 7,900 entries, according to a statement from the organizers.
A sunken ship, shrimp, sharks and a protective octopus mother were among the other category winners.
Smith said in the statement that he watched dozens of seal pups climb over one another, “awkwardly learning to swim,” after their mothers left them.
“On my very first evening, the sky ignited with colour and I captured a handful of frames before the light vanished,” said Smith, calling it the “defining moment” of his trip.
Alex Mustard, chair of the judging panel, hailed Smith’s work and the story it tells about nature’s resilience.
“Smith used a special dome that he built himself to capture the revealing under-over perspective, perfectly balancing his lighting on the pups’ fur with the setting sun,” said Mustard.
“Elephant seals were hunted right to the brink of extinction. Their oil rich blubber was used for everything from fuel for lighting to margarine,” he said.
“Fortunately, the hunt was stopped just in time, and their recovery over the last 100 years is a great example of resilience of the ocean,” added Mustard, who called the winning image “a beautiful and hopeful photograph.”
Among the category winners were stunning photographs including the guns of a Japanese Navy wreck, a female octopus lovingly guarding her eggs and the moment clownfish eggs hatch.
Japanese photographer Kazushige Horiguchi had to exercise extreme patience to capture the clownfish image, which shows the eggs hatching as the parent watches and won the Behavior category.
“I have been photographing clownfish for over three years, but this single image is the only one that truly succeeds,” said Horiguchi in the statement.
Another category winner was US photographer Sam Blount, who took home the PADI Up & Coming Underwater Photographer of the Year 2026 award for his shot of a leopard seal lunging towards his lens.
“Leopard seals wield an astonishing array of dominance displays,” said Blount in the statement.
“This one put them all to use, darting around me with effortless power,” he added. “Watching that massive mouth lined with sharp teeth charge straight toward me is a thrill I’ll never forget.”
The-CNN-Wire
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