The year 2022 marks the ninth edition of the United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Contest. The competition is organized by the United Nations Department of Ocean Affairs and the Office of the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) in collaboration with Oceanic Global, presented by Blancpain and supported by the DPG.
The competition is curated by Ellen Cuylaerts and includes a jury of world-renowned individuals. This year’s jury members include wildlife photographer Rathika Ramasamy, conservation photojournalist and marine biologist Sirachai Arunrugstichai, and underwater photographer Y.Zin Kim.
Each year, the free contest is open to the public and explores six thematic categories. For this year’s competition, photographers were asked to submit images capturing the UN World Oceans Day 2022 theme of “Revival: Collective Action for Oceans” through the categories. following items:
- Revival
- Landscape on the water
- Underwater landscape
- Nature-based solutions & ocean exploration
- Marine
- Coastal community
In this year’s edition, two of our previous categories have been included— “Underwater Marine Landscapes” and “Underwater Marine Landscapes”. In keeping with the theme of this year’s United Nations World Oceans Day “Revival: Collective Action for Oceans”, the competition includes four new categories: “Revival”, in which entries Entrants required a trio of images, “Coastal Communities”, “Marine Life,” and “Nature-based Solutions & Ocean Exploration”. These categories are broadly intended to encourage photographers interpretation and artistic vision.
The winners will be announced by the jury at this year’s UN World Oceans Day event taking place at UN Headquarters in New York (and televised live) on June 8, 2022. Photos of the finalists in 2021 will be on-site at the UN. Headquarters, and following a live presentation by the winners of the UN WOD 2022 competition, the winning photos will be available for viewing on the UN World Oceans Day website.
The 2022 contest is now closed. To discover this year’s jury, submission categories, and discover previous contest winners, visit www.unworldoceansday.org.
About United Nations World Oceans Day
Since its inception in 2008, the United Nations World Oceans Day (UN WOD) has celebrated the ocean and its importance to our planet and lives, while raising awareness about the many threats it faces. As ocean challenges continue to increase, so does the need to understand and act globally.
