Overview

• The shortlist spans seven categories, including Hope and Impact that separate recovery stories from human-driven harm.
• Organizers plan a London announcement on 18 September 2025; winning images will premiere at the Australian National Maritime Museum from 6 November.
• Finalist subjects range from hundreds of baby octopuses in Indonesia and humpback whales in French Polynesia to the Yab Yum sinkhole and a Komodo dragon encounter.
• Director Will Harrison says ocean photography has never been more important during a deepening climate and biodiversity crisis.
• Conservation finalist Julia Ochs documents a Mediterranean bottom trawler using a 100‑meter net that resurfaced with extensive bycatch.