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2022 marked the ninth edition of the annual United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition. The competition is organized by the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea Office of Legal Affairs (DOALOS), in partnership with Oceanic Global, presented by Blancpain and supported by DPG.

The competition is curated by Ellen Cuylaerts and composed of a jury of world-renowned individuals. This year’s jury members include wildlife photographer Rathika Ramasamy, conservation photojournalist and marine biologist Sirachai Arunrugstichai, and underwater photographer Y.Zin Kim. 

Each year, the free competition is open to the public and explores six thematic categories. For this year’s competition, photographers were asked to submit images that captured the UN World Oceans Day 2022 theme of “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean” through the following categories:

1. Revitalization
2. Above Water Seascapes
3. Underwater Seascapes
4. Nature-Based Solutions & Ocean Exploration
5. Ocean Critters
6. Coastal Communities

In this year’s edition, two of our former categories were included—“Above Water Seascapes” and “Underwater Seascapes.” To tie in this year’s UN World Oceans Day theme “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean,” the competition included four new categories: “Revitalization,” for which submissions required a set of three images, “Coastal Communities,” “Ocean Critters,” and “Nature-Based Solutions & Ocean Exploration.” The categories were purposely broad to encourage photographers’ interpretations and artistic visions. 

The winners will be announced by the judges at this year’s UN World Oceans Day event taking place at the UN Headquarters in New York (and broadcast live) on June 8th, 2022. The 2021 finalists’ photographs will be exhibited on-site at the UN Headquarters, and following the live presentation of the UN WOD 2022 competition winners, the winning photographs will be available to view through the UN World Oceans Day website. 

The 2022 competition has now closed. To discover this year's judges, submission categories and to explore previous competition winners, visit www.unworldoceansday.org.
 

About the 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.