The Underwater Photography Guide has opened submissions for the 15th annual Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition, with more than $50,000 in prizes available to underwater photographers around the world.
Now celebrating its 15th year, Ocean Art has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious underwater photography competitions, attracting entries from amateur and professional photographers in over 90 countries across the globe.
Fifteen categories ensure all photo disciplines and cameras compete fairly, while the 50+ winning images create a portfolio of the best underwater photos of the year.
Ocean Art prizes are provided by some of the world’s top scuba diving resorts, liveaboard dive yachts, and underwater photo gear manufacturers.
Grand prizes this year include smartphone housings from Divevolk, underwater photo and video gear from Marelux, a Bali to Komodo liveaboard trip with Mermaid Liveaboards; an eight-day, 12-dive adventure for two in Raja Ampat with Meridian Adventure; an eight-night dive trip in Indonesia aboard the Coralia Liveaboard; an Ikelite RC 232 Strobe with a modelling light and Ecko Strobe; a strobe from Sea & Sea; and a variety of gift certificates from Bluewater Photo and Bluewater Travel.
Premium prizes are provided by Spice Island Divers (Ambon, Indonesia), El Galleon/Asia Divers (Philippines), Atmosphere Resorts & Spa (Dumaguete, Philippines), Mexico Liveaboards (Sea of Cortez and Socorro, Mexico), Sealife Underwater Cameras, Weefine, and Ultralight Camera Solutions.
Ocean Art 2026 consists of 15 categories total, with the top categories including Wide Angle, Macro, Marine Life Behaviour and three corresponding compact camera categories, giving underwater photographers of all levels a chance to win.
Other categories include Black & White, Marine Life Portrait, Cold/Temperate Water, Blackwater, Underwater Conservation, and Nudibranchs.
The Underwater Fashion and Underwater Digital Art categories provide two very different and unique art forms with their own categories – with complete freedom in post-processing.
This year, with the help of Divevolk and Sealife, the competition has also brought back its underwater smartphone category, as smartphones and underwater housings have advanced dramatically in recent years, making underwater photography accessible to a much wider audience.
Winners from each category will be able to rank the prizes they would most like to receive, making it more likely that each winner will receive a prize they desire.
This year’s judging panel features the return of renowned underwater photographers Tony Wu, Marty Snyderman, Mark Strickland, and Ipah Uid Lynn.
Together, they bring decades of expertise and diverse artistic perspectives to the competition. Marty Snyderman is an Emmy Award–winning cinematographer whose work has appeared in National Geographic and other leading publications.
Tony Wu is an acclaimed photographer and author of Silent Symphony, celebrated for his storytelling and natural history imagery.
Mark Strickland is a published author, award-winning underwater photographer, and photo specialist at Bluewater Photo.
Ipah Uid Lynn, an internationally recognised Malaysian photographer, is known for her creative and artistic underwater imagery that bridges fine art and marine life.
Photos must be submitted before the deadline of 23:59 PST on 6 December 2026.
For more information and to enter the competition, head to www.uwphotographyguide.com/ocean-art.
The Ocean Art competition is organised by Nirupam Nigam of Bluewater Photo, Bluewater Travel, and the Underwater Photography Guide.
For more information, head to www.uwphotographyguide.com or follow on Facebook @underwaterphotographyguide, Instagram @uwphotographyguide and X @uwphotography
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