June 8, 2021 New York, NY - The winners of the United Nations World Oceans Day Photo Competition were announced during the second UN World Oceans Day 2021 Virtual Event on June 8, 2021. The event and competition are coordinated by the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, and were produced in partnership with Oceanic Global. The competition is curated by Ellen Cuylaerts, hosted by DivePhotoGuide (DPG), and made possible in part through the support of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment.

The judges and curator announced the first, second and third place images from around the world in six categories during a 15-minute video segment. This year’s judges were Jennifer Hayes, Julian Lennon, Joakim Odelberg, Ipah Uid Lynn, and Michel Strogoff.

Congratulations to the category winners, Renee Capozzola (“The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods”), Pawel Zygmunt (“Above Water Seascapes”), Nur Tucker (“Underwater Seascapes”), Francisco Sedano (“Digital Ocean Photo Art”), Sayaka Ichinoseki (“Faces of the Sea”), and Tom St George (“Oceanic Discoveries”); and to all the runners-up.

All participants signed a Charter of 14 commitments regarding ethics in photography.

Here is the list of all the winners in the six categories:

Category: The Ocean: Life & Livelihoods

Winner: Renee Capozzola, USA

2^nd Place: Jacopo Brunetti, Italy

3^rd Place: Henley Spiers, UK

Honorable Mention: Victor Núñez, Spain

Category: Above Water Seascapes

Winner: Pawel Zygmunt, Poland

2^nd Place: Christophe Mason-Parker, UK

3^rd Place: Rafael Fernandez Caballero, Spain

Honorable Mention: Matthew Meier, USA

Category: Underwater Seascapes

Winner: Nur Tucker, UK

2^nd Place: Marchione Giacome, Italy

3^rd Place: Kevin De Vree, Belgium

Category: Digital Ocean Photo Art

Winner: Francisco Sedano, Spain

2^nd Place: Brett Stanley, Australia

3^rd Place: Renata Romeo, Italy

Category: Faces of the Sea

Winner: Sayaka Ichinoseki, Japan

2^nd Place: Sam Briggs, USA

3^rd Place: Evans Baudin, USA

Category: Oceanic Discoveries

Winner: Tom St George, UK

2^nd Place: Hannes Klostermann, Germany

3^rd Place: Sirachai Arunrugstichai, Thailand