The 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition opens at the Australian National Maritime Museum today, showcasing the best photographs from more than 15,000 submissions from around the globe.
Australian photographer, Craig Parry won the Human Connection Award in this year’s competition with this drone image of a stranded Humpback whale rescue attempt on Seven Mile Beach. © Craig Parry.
This year’s overall winner is Indonesia-based photographer Yury Ivanov, whose mesmerising image of two 3mm ‘ladybugs of the sea’ captivated judges with its message that wonder exists at every scale. Two Australians are also among this year’s category winners: Marcia Riederer took out the Fine Art category with her portrait of a Dwarf Minke whale on the Great Barrier Reef, while Craig Parry won Human Connection for a powerful drone image of a stranded Humpback whale rescue attempt on Seven Mile Beach.
This portrait of a Dwarf Minke whale on the Great Barrier Reef by Marcia Riederer received the first prize in the Fine Art category of the 2025 Ocean Photographer of the Year competition. © Marcia Riederer.
The exhibition celebrates excellence across categories including The Ocean, Wildlife, Fine Art, Adventure, Conservation (Hope), Conservation (Impact), Human Connection, Young Photographer of the Year and the Ocean Portfolio Award, along with the prestigious Female Fifty Fathoms Award, this year awarded to Jialing Cai. The images can be viewed at the Australian National Maritime Museum until 3 May 2026. Click here for more information on ticket prices and opening times.
