In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly decided that, as from 2009, June 8th would be designated by the United Nations as « World Oceans Day. » We recognize that our oceans are essential to securing food and survival of all life on planet Earth. They power our climate and they are a critical part of the biosphere.
World Oceans Day encourages you to make a difference in your life, in your community, and in the world by taking action to protect our ocean—for present and future generations. Despite the huge challenges facing the world’s oceans such as plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change, by working together we can achieve a healthier ocean that will provide for the billions of humans, plants and animals which depend on it every day.
THE CONTEST
Photography is a powerful medium to convey a feeling or a message. This open and free photo competition seeks to inspire the creation of imagery capturing the beauty, the challenges and the importance of the ocean and humankind’s relation to it, hoping to contribute to actions to preserve this vital resource.
The photo competition has six thematic categories open for submissions:
- NEWNo Time to Waste
- Both human and naturally inflicted stressors on the ocean are driving the urgent need for stakeholder action. From out of control algal blooms to red tides and discarded fishing gear, images of damage inflicted on the ocean or how ocean stressors are being mitigated/solved. Submissions for this category require a set of three images
- NEWPutting the Ocean First
- Exploration, discoveries, and initiatives prioritizing the health of the ocean for now and for the future, including innovation and sustainable solutions
- NEWThe Wonderful World of Tides
- Images that explore the wonderful worlds of tides, and how nature adapts to changing environments, evident in tides and their daily (as well as sometimes multi-daily) rise and fall. Tides are a thin line between land and ocean that provide images topside or underwater, macro or wide angle
- NEWOcean Is Life
- From seagrass creating oxygen to sustainable fisheries providing food. This category captures the known, the unknown, and the overlooked. Any image depicting the connection of the ocean to sustaining all life on Earth. Oceans as a lifeline
- NEWBig and Small Underwater Faces
- Portraits of marine life underwater that feature faces big and/or small to help personalize the world beneath the waves
- Underwater Seascapes
- Awe-inspiring underwater seascapes of the ocean’s splendors, from life in the ocean to ecosystems and exchanges we don’t typically see, anything that inspires beauty, promise, or potential. A minimum of 50% should be taken underwater, also allowing half-above water and half-below water shots.
Benefits
- Winning images will be recognized at the United Nations on June 8th during the United Nations’ event marking World Oceans Day 2023.
- Recognition and diffusion of the winning images and finalists will be widely exposed throughout the contest websites, the media and the informational materials related to subsequent competitions. Winning photos have been printed for exhibitions around the world.
Entries must be submitted electronically in accordance with the contest guidelines and subject to the contest rules.
Click Here to Apply
Application Deadline:Â Â April 23rd, 2023 at 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
