The key facts
- First place: 'Predatory Flock in the Ocean' by Nur Tucker — birds hunt fish discarded by fishermen
- Second place: 'Shark Gateway' by Linda Ness — a shark feeds in a sardine shoal off the coast of South Africa
- Third place: 'Mandarin Fish Mating Dance' by Luke Roomer — the shot was taken in December 2025 in the Lembeh Strait
Winners of the Underwater Photography Competition
The results of the annual underwater photography competition have been announced. First place went to Nur Tucker's shot 'Predatory Flock in the Ocean': the frame shows northern gannets fighting underwater over fish discarded by fishermen, while the birds dive from the air at speed and hunt for food beneath the waves. As noted in the description of the work, the shot draws attention to how human fishing activity can affect the behaviour of wild animals.
Second and Third Places
Second place went to Linda Ness's photograph 'Shark Gateway'. The shot was taken off the coast of Transkei in South Africa during the annual mass sardine migration: it shows a shark feeding in a dense shoal of fish. Third place went to Luke Roomer's work 'Mandarin Fish Mating Dance'. For two weeks in December 2025, the photographer observed the underwater world in the Lembeh Strait. The mating ritual of the brightly coloured mandarin fish takes place at dusk: the fish emerge from the corals in pairs, briefly rise into the water column and hide again. After many attempts and a long wait, the photographer managed to capture this fleeting moment.
Works Highly Praised by the Jury
The jury also highly praised Noam Kortler's shot 'Heavy Load', taken off Moalboal in the Philippines: the frame shows a hawksbill sea turtle swimming alongside a shoal of millions of sardines, and due to the angle it seems as if the turtle is carrying the entire shoal of fish on its shell. Among the commended works was also Romain Barat's photograph 'Off Fishing Again', featuring a group of penguins swimming through icy water off Cape Charcot in Antarctica.
