{"id":355699,"date":"2025-08-19T02:36:20","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T02:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/355699\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T02:36:20","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T02:36:20","slug":"fragility-beauty-and-urgency-characterize-ocean-photographer-of-the-year-2025-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/355699\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragility, Beauty, and Urgency Characterize Ocean Photographer of the Year 2025 \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The finalists of this year\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanographicmagazine.com\/opy\/#2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ocean Photographer of the Year<\/a> competition (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/ocean-photographer-of-the-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">previously<\/a>) have really blown it out of the water. From hundreds of baby octopuses in the waters around Indonesia to remarkable humpback whales to a dramatic encounter with a Komodo dragon, photographers captured some of our planet\u2019s most awe-inspiring creatures in their native habitats.<\/p>\n<p>Photos are organized into seven categories with an emphasis on ocean conservation and the outsize influence humans have on marine life. The Hope category, for instance, focuses on healthy and burgeoning ecosystems, while the images in the Impact grouping provide an unfiltered look at the terrific effects of overfishing, waste, and pollution.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-9.jpg\" alt=\"a Komodo dragon viewed up-close\" class=\"wp-image-460574\"  \/>Suliman Alatiqi, Indonesia<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the midst of a deepening climate and biodiversity crisis on our blue planet, ocean photography has never been more important,\u201d says Will Harrison, direction of OPY. These images are far more than just beautiful\u2014they are powerful visual testaments to what we stand to lose, and they remind us of the urgent need for protection. Ocean Photographer of the Year continues to be a vital platform for sharing critical stories from above and below the waterline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Winners in each category and of the contest overall will be announced on September 18. See some more of our favorite images below, and explore the full finalists\u2019 gallery on the competition\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/oceanographicmagazine.com\/opy\/#2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1366\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-8.jpg\" alt=\"a tiny fish in an egg\" class=\"wp-image-460571\"  \/>L\u00e1szl\u00f3 F\u00f6ldi, Philippines<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-12.jpg\" alt=\"an orca whale leaps out in front of two people standing on a beach\" class=\"wp-image-460575\"  \/>Yifan Ling, U.S.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-10-960x640.jpg\" alt=\"an octopus with hundreds of eggs\" class=\"wp-image-460572\"  \/>Th\u00e9o Maynier, Martinique<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-5.jpg\" alt=\"a small watercraft rides wild waves near Nazar\u00e9, Portugal\" class=\"wp-image-460568\"  \/>Ben Thouard, Portugal<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-7.jpg\" alt=\"a fish with a mouth full of orange eggs\" class=\"wp-image-460570\"  \/>Daniel Sly, Australia<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-6.jpg\" alt=\"sharks and fish caught in a fishing net, with another spotted shark swimming beneath them\" class=\"wp-image-460569\"  \/>Daniel Flormann, Indonesia<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-11.jpg\" alt=\"a half-submerged photo of a person in a boat and a coral reef beneath the surface of the water\" class=\"wp-image-460573\"  \/>Wendy Mitchell, Indonesia<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-1.jpg\" alt=\"colorful fish swim around a coral reef\" class=\"wp-image-460564\"  \/>Aaron Sanders, Indonesia <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-2.jpg\" alt=\"two divers shine lights into a vast underwater cave\" class=\"wp-image-460565\"  \/>Alex Dawson, Mexico<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-4.jpg\" alt=\"a small orange crab on a blue-and-orange surface\" class=\"wp-image-460567\"  \/>Andray Shpatak, Russia<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/opoty-3.jpg\" alt=\"humpback whales swim near a scuba diver\" class=\"wp-image-460566\"  \/>Alvaro Herrero, French Polynesia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The finalists of this year\u2019s Ocean Photographer of the Year competition (previously) have really blown it out of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[933,4021,4020,4022,77,10810,16007,125427,16,15,6507,26088,1717],"class_list":{"0":"post-355699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-fish","14":"tag-ocean","15":"tag-ocean-photographer-of-the-year","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-water","19":"tag-whales","20":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115053107487675225","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}