Elephant Seals Triumph in 2026 Underwater Photographer of the Year Competition

There’s something enchanting about underwater photography, enabling us to glimpse beneath the waves and uncover a completely different realm. This spirit undoubtedly fuels the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition (UPY), which has honored the art form and its advocates since 1965. For UPY2026, creativity and charm merged in the contest’s top entry, illustrating just how varied underwater photography can be.

Matty Smith emerged victorious among nearly 8,000 entries from around the world with “Rockpool Rookies,” captured on Sealion Island in the Falklands. The image portrays a duo of young elephant seals, one playfully nipping at the other, whose eyes cutely gaze up at the camera. Beyond its lovable subjects, the photograph also features an inventive composition, segmented into three distinct areas by the mossy rocks, the water’s edge, and the striking evening sky. This effect accentuates the different environments that elephant seals navigate throughout their lives, as they inhabit both land and sea.

“Once their pups are weaned, elephant seal mothers leave them on land,” Smith shares. “I observed many clambering over each other in shallow rockpools, clumsily learning to swim. On my very first evening, the sky erupted with color, and I snapped a few frames before the light disappeared. It was the pivotal moment of the extended journey.”

For Alex Mustard, a marine ecologist and the chair of the competition’s judging panel, the image brings to light the elephant seal’s endangered status while still presenting a hint of optimism. “Elephant seals were hunted nearly to extinction,” he states. “Their oil-rich blubber was utilized for everything from lighting fuel to margarine. Thankfully, the hunt was halted just in time, and their rebound over the past century exemplifies the resilience of the ocean.”

Khaichuin Sim’s winning photograph also engages with environmental themes and the delicacy of our ecosystems. Leading the competition’s “Marine Conservation” category, Sim’s image depicts Grindadráp, a centuries-old yet contentious practice of hunting pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. In this scene, a young boy sits atop a deceased whale amidst blood-red waters, a “haunting reflection of how tradition, identity, and ethics intersect,” according to Sim.

“[This is] a sorrowful yet impactful image that poses more questions than it resolves,” contest judge Peter Rowlands comments. “The message must be that such traditions have no place in contemporary society. Photography has the potential to drive change.”

In the “Up & Coming” category, Sam Blount impresses with a shot of a leopard seal lunging toward the camera, its mouth wide open to reveal its sharp teeth. Meanwhile, in the “Black & White” category, Shunsuke Nakano presents a contemplative portrait of a fish gliding through coral, their branches intertwined and wandering like veins.

This is merely a glimpse of the winning photographs from the 2026 competition. Scroll down to explore more extraordinary images from our underwater realm.