© Viktor Lyagushkin (Georgia). Ocean Critters – Winner (2022)
DPG is pleased to announce the opening of the 12th annual Photo Competition for UN World Oceans Day, surrounding the 2025 theme, “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us.” Complementing the UN’s World Oceans Day celebration preceding the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, this year’s 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 2025 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, Oceanic Global, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Nausicaá. The 12th 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:
- Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us
- Big and Small Underwater Faces
- Underwater Seascapes
- Above Water Seascapes
Winners will be announced on UN World Oceans Day, June 8th—this year celebrated in Nice—hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, in partnership with Oceanic Global, and published on 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 2025 jury comprising underwater photographer Ipah Uid Lynn (Malaysia), underwater photographer William Tan (Singapore), wildlife photographer Vanessa Mignon (France), and underwater photographer Marcello Di Francesco (Italy). For further details about submissions, including category descriptions, contest rules, judges, and more, click below.
All entries must be submitted by April 6th, 2025 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 2024 theme, “Awaken New Depths,” 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, and has been made possible by the generous contribution of Oceanic Global since 2019. For more information visit www.UNWorldOceansDay.org.
