Celebrating Shark Awareness Day with the Shark Trust's Shark Photographer of the Year 2025 Winners

The Shark Trust has announced the winners of its 2025 Shark Photographer of the Year Competition to celebrate this year’s Shark Awareness Day (14 July).

Entries were received from 34 countries and represented 76 different species of shark, ray, skate and chimaera.

An exhibition of the finalists’ images is currently on display in Plymouth, the home of the Shark Trust, where they will remain until the end of Shark Month (sometimes known as ‘July’!)

The highest accolade in this year’s competition, Shark Photographer of the Year 2025, has been awarded to Julian Hebenstreit for his stunning shot of an Indo-Pacific leopard shark (also known as zebra sharks) in Australia (scroll down for the winners).

Shark Trust Patron Simon Rogerson, one of a trio of judges that had the tough job of selecting the winners, said: ‘This photograph is at first glance quite simple, but with a depth that rewards repeated views.

‘The golden form of the Indo-Pacific Leopard shark stands in vivid contrast to the dark rock and the white sand. Placing it small in the frame creates a sense of drama rather than distance. For me, it suggests the precarious existence of our remaining sharks, this golden species representing treasure in dark times.’

Julian has won a package of accommodation and shark diving in The Bahamas courtesy of Diverse Travel and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. He also receives the Shark Trust Shark Photographer of the Year 2025 trophy.

The judges picked out a further two outstanding images as the British and Overseas Winners, with awards going to Hector Clarke and Martin Broen respectively, who received Mares dive computers in addition to their trophies.

Hector’s image of Small Spotter Catshark lying on a mass of brittle stars in Loch Carron, Scotland highlights just why the seabed is so important to many species, including sharks and rays, while Martin’s eye-catching split-shot captures the mobular ray migration in Mexico in dramatic black and white.

Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, said: ‘The highlight of the photography competition for me is the wonderful diversity of sharks and rays represented and the quality of images across the board.

‘We’re grateful to each and every one of the photographers for taking part and sharing their love of sharks with the world.’

For more information and to see the complete list of winners, runners up and highly commended images, head to www.sharktrust.org/shark-photographer-of-the-year-2025

Shark Photographer of the Year 2025

Julian Hebenstreit – Indo-Pacific Leopard shark, Julian Rocks, Australia

Photographer Comments: I took this photo at a popular dive site off Byron Bay in New South Wales, Australia. The weather had been terrible all week with strong winds and rain, which persisted when I took this photo. It was cold and dark, strong waves gushing against the small rock island that marks the dive site.

When I think back to the moment of this capture, I remember the stark contrast between the wild and uncomfortable outside and the calm and quiet world below the water.

The leopard shark is an incredibly elegant shark with its pronounced body lines and long tail fin, carrying an immense presence in the water. I was freediving that day, and the shark passed me at about 15m deep, which is when I decided to try and capture the beauty of this animal to the best of my ability.

I selected this image because it reminds me why I do what I do. Why I dive, why I explore, and try to protect. It’s not just about documenting wildlife; it’s about conveying the fragile beauty of the ocean in a way that makes people care. I believe the contrast in this image is what makes it stand out.

You can feel the cold and dark water through the photo, with the warm and angel-like presence of the leopard shark against the frigid background. The opportunity of interacting with a leopard shark is a memory I am intensely grateful for, as there are probably only a handful of locations in the world where you can encounter them consistently.

It was truly a privilege to have been able to capture this species and demonstrate the calming yet intense presence that these animals have.

British Isles Winner

Hector Clarke – Smallspotted catshark, Loch Carron, Scotland

Photographer Comments: This image was taken in Loch Carron, Northwestern Scotland. The narrowing of this particular Loch near its junction with the Atlantic forces huge amounts of nutrient rich water through a small channel, creating a hotspot for marine biodiversity.

Despite the fierce tidal currents, these narrows are my favourite place in the UK to encounter small-spotted catsharks. I found this individual resting on a bed of brittle starfish at around twenty metres depth. It seemed very comfortable with my presence, allowing me to get exceptionally close.

I like how this image captures the density and diversity of life in this area, all the way from the multicoloured brittle stars to the exquisitely patterned catshark.

Overseas Winner

Martin Broen – Mobula ray migration, Baja California, Mexico

Photographer Comments: This evocative black-and-white split-shot photograph captures the extraordinary Mobula ray migration off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

Below the surface, a dense school of rays forms a luminous, geometric ballet, their bodies catching shafts of sunlight filtering through the ocean. Above, a small boat with observers floats quietly, a silent witness to one of nature’s most graceful spectacles.

Each year, thousands of mobula rays gather in the nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of California—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biodiverse marine environments on the planet.

These acrobatic relatives of manta rays are known for their synchronised swimming and aerial leaps, making their migration a breathtaking display of collective behaviour. Baja’s mobula migration is not only a visual marvel but also a vital ecological event.

In recent years, conservation efforts by local communities and international organisations have intensified, aiming to curb bycatch, protect critical habitats, and regulate tourism practices.

Sustainable ecotourism now plays a growing role in raising awareness and funding for protection, helping ensure that these rays continue their ancient journey through Mexico’s marine corridors.

Mediterranean Programme Winner

Linda Mazza – Angelshark, Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Photographer Comment: This photo was taken off La Graciosa, a tiny island north of Lanzarote, at a dive site called Montaña Amarilla.

I selected it for several reasons. Angel sharks are critically endangered, making any encounter special – though sadly, for all the wrong reasons. They’re also one of the focus species of the Shark Trust, which adds personal significance to this shot.

What I love about this photo is that it doesn’t capture the classic, angel-shaped silhouette most commonly seen – usually taken from above to show their unique markings, camouflage, and evolutionary perfection. Instead, this is a close-up portrait, taken purely by chance.

I was observing another shark when I suddenly found myself face-to-face with this one. Luckily, I had my camera ready. I quickly zoomed in and captured the moment before quietly moving away so as not to disturb it. The resulting image shows an unusual and perhaps less flattering perspective.

It reveals the flattened head, eyes, slightly open mouth, barbels, and skin texture in vivid detail – even the wounds and imperfections. This raw portrayal highlights not only their vulnerability but also their misunderstood nature in an increasingly threatened ocean.

For me, this photo breaks the usual barrier between viewer and shark. It creates an unexpected intimacy. At that moment, I felt incredibly privileged – I could sense the shark’s sentience and quiet expressiveness. Seeing its eyes and dermal denticles up close stirred real empathy and awe.

Living in the Canary Islands, I see angel sharks on most of my dives, but I had never been face-to-face with one like this. It was a truly special moment.

Living With Sharks Winner

Gillian Marsh – Blue shark, Cornwall, England

Photographer Comments: This is a natural light image, taken while snorkelling in Cornwall, approximately 15-17 miles out from Penzance.

It was the August bank holiday in 2017 and we had amazing conditions, with blue skies and sunshine, clear blue water and flat calm seas. We had put out a chum slick to attract the blue sharks but, over the course of two days, we had it all, not only plenty of sharks, but a group of common dolphins, a large school of blue-fin tuna, a basking shark and even a bait ball in the distance. It was a truly magnificent experience.

The blue sharks were bold and curious and we four snorkelers had a lot of good interactions with them, but I particularly like the interaction in this image. It’s tempting to imagine the shark is asking the photographer “Have you got my best side?”

Great Eggcase Hunt Winner

Grant Evans – Pyjama catshark (egg), Cape Town, South Africa

Photographer Comments: This image was taken on the wreck of HMSAS Pietermaritzburg, a warship scuttled in 1994 to be an artificial reef in False Bay, South Africa.

This image was taken during peak diving season in the area, and this dive showed why, with 20m of visibility and abundant life in the water and on the wreck. C

atsharks are my favourite group of sharks, and I was very excited to come across this eggcase, wrapped around a sea fan. I had seen it before, but never so securely, almost strangling the coral.

I took this picture as I found it a curious sight, and it is important to acknowledge the sharks’ life stages before it is a fully formed shark that is so often seen gliding through the nearby kelp forests.

It also highlights the importance of the sea floor for these animals, as they need these sea fans to secure their egg cases safely. Bottom trawling threatens these corals and the egg depositing sites of catsharks in South Africa.

Young Photographer of the Year

Panitbhand Paribatra – Whale shark, Maldives

Photographer Comments: This was my first encounter with a Whale Shark, in April 2025, in the Maldives. It was such a joyful and unforgettable moment.

I was very excited to see with my own eyes the largest fish in the world feeding on some of the smallest living creatures in the ocean.

For me, enjoying this moment is not all there is, we must take action to help ensure these incredible, gentle giants of the sea survive.

I believe that together we can help Whale Sharks live and swim freely in their ocean home, allowing them to share this planet with us for years to come.

For more from the Shark Trust head to www.sharktrust.org, or follow the team on Instagram @thesharktrust