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DPG is pleased to announce the opening of the 13th annual Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day. Complementing the UN’s World Oceans Day celebration at the UN Headquarters in New York, the competition draws on the power of the arts to expand our perspectives and appreciation for our blue planet, and ignite a wave of action towards necessary change.

The 2026 Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day is a free and open-to-the-public competition coordinated in collaboration between the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, DPG, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Nausicaá. The 13th annual competition presents a unique opportunity for photographers to showcase the immense breadth and depth of the ocean’s beauty as well as to shed light on the lesser-known promise and potential brimming beneath its waves. The following four categories are now open for submissions:

1. Connecting Oceans
2. Big and Small Underwater Faces
3. Underwater Seascapes
4. Above Water Seascapes

Winners will be announced during the UN World Oceans Day event on June 8th in New York, hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, and published on www.UNWorldOceansDay.org and DPG shortly afterwards.

Since its inception, the annual competition has been curated by underwater photographer Ellen Cuylaerts and judged by a jury of renowned photographers. This year is no exception, with the 2026 jury comprising underwater photographer Ipah Uid Lynn (Malaysia), underwater photographer Jane Morgan (UK), underwater photographer William Tan (Singapore), and Scubaverse founder Dave Alexander (UK). For further details about submissions, including category descriptions, contest rules, judges, and more, click below.

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All entries must be submitted by April 6th, 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).
 

About United Nations World Oceans Day

Since its inception in 2008, United Nations World Oceans Day (UN WOD) has celebrated the ocean and its importance to the planet and our lives, while raising awareness about the many threats it faces. As the challenges to the ocean continue to grow, so does the need to understand and mobilize globally. In celebration of the 2025 theme, “Ocean Unity: Shared Responsibility for a Shared Future,” the United Nations is joining forces with decision makers, scientists, private sector executives, civil society representatives, indigenous communities, celebrities and youth activists and more, to put the ocean first. The annual UN World Oceans Day celebration is hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. For more information visit www.UNWorldOceansDay.org.