The Underwater Awards Australasia 2026 has announced its winners and runners-up, celebrating striking underwater photography and videography from the region and international waters. Nine category winners were selected from hundreds of submissions.
The competition invited photographers to capture the essence of the underwater world, highlighting its delicate balance and beauty. Entries featured a diverse array of marine life and environments.
Among the notable winning images are a seal in a kelp forest, captured in Australia, and a juvenile whale shark surrounded by divers off Koh Tao, Thailand.
Other highlights include a Bryde's whale in Mexico's Magdalena Bay, a sea turtle surfacing at sunrise in Florida waters, and a leopard seal in Antarctica.
The competition also showcased cooperative behavior among marine animals, with a photograph depicting two bottlenose dolphins working together to herd a school of parrotfish in Western Australia.
Locations featured in the winning entries span various parts of the world, including Sydney, Australia, where a photo titled 'Teeth of the Reef' was captured in Kurnell. Images also came from the Philippines, depicting a clownfish in Romblon and migrating rainbow plankton in Anilao, Batangas. The Great Barrier Reef was represented by images of a lionfish on Ribbon Reef and a humphead wrasse.
Further images from Australia include a common Sydney octopus from Port Kembla, NSW, and two seahorses in Rye Pier, Victoria.
Bali was also represented with a photo of a diver inspecting a coral restoration initiative. The competition aimed to highlight the beauty and fragility of marine ecosystems through the lens of underwater photographers.