Jialing Cai, Overall Winner Ocean Photographer of the Year.
A Paper Nautilus drifts on a piece of ocean debris at night, surrounded by heavy sediment. Photo: Philippines

Marine biologist and amateur photographer Jialing Cai has been named the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year thanks to her stunning image of a paper nautilus floating on a piece of debris just after a volcanic eruption in the Philippines. Cai went on a blackwater dive shortly after the eruption and was rewarded with this image, which put the 25-year-old ahead of the other talented entrants to the contest.

Cai became fascinated with blackwater dives after learning about diel vertical migration (DVM), when zooplankton move from the deep ocean to the surface at night. “That hit me like lightning,” says Cai. “My professor was telling me the deep sea was within my reach, that it would come to me. That realization was mind-blowing. It’s why [I’ve become] so obsessed with blackwater photography.”

The other winners of the annual contest, which is organized by Oceanographic Magazine, are equally impressive. From a young polar bear desperately clinging to melting ice to two friendly manatees getting up close with a photographer, the images are a beautiful look at all the ocean has to offer.

The contest also awards young talent, with photographer Jarvis Smallman named Young Ocean Photographer of the Year. His image of a bodyboarder in Western Australia paddling out to take on the waves is a stunning look at how humans challenge the power of the ocean in a quest for adventure.

All of the winners will be included in a five-month-long exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum. Opening November 17, 2023, it’s a wonderful way to see these winning images in person. Scroll down for the winners and some of our other favorites, and check out the full winner’s gallery online.

Here are the winners of the 2023 Ocean Photographer of the Year awards.

Florian Ledoux, Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Impact).
A polar bear cub contends with the fragility of melting ice. Location: Svalbard, Norway

Andrei Savin, Runner Up Ocean Photographer of the Year.
A crab sits in the center of a sea anemone as it sways in ocean current. Location: Philippines

Merche Llobera, Female Fifty Fathoms.
Two manatees pose for the photographer. Location: Florida

Nicholas Holton. 3rd Place Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
A humpback whale lands gracefully on its back after launching its enormous frame out of the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Location: Australia.

Sirachai Arunrugstichai, Ocean Portfolio Award.
A young grey reef shark is hooked by an angler at night at Burma Bank, an offshore plateau in the Andaman Sea. Location: Myanmar

All of the winners give a diverse look at all the ocean has to offer.

Todd Glaser, Adventure Ocean Photographer of the Year.
While surfing North Shore’s famous Banzai Pipeline, a rainbow appears. Location: O’ahu, Hawaii

Jarvis Smallman, Young Ocean Photographer of the Year.
A bodyboarder paddles out to sea, while big storm clouds block the sun and create an electric blue color effect on the wave. Location: Western Australia

Sylvie Ayer, Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Hope).
A manatee enjoys the crystal-clear waters of the Homosassa River. Location: Florida

Jack Pokoj, Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
A lizardfish’s open mouth reveals its last meal. Location: The Philippines

Jade Hoksbergen, Ocean Fine Art Photographer of the Year
A whale shark and its entourage of remoras is attracted by the bright lights of fishermen. Location: The Maldives

Jingyi Wang, The Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean.
Artisanal fishing fences stand proudly in the sea. Location: China

Craig Parry. Runner Up Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
A gentoo penguin, the fastest penguin species in the world, charges across the water. Location: Antarctica

Jeroen Hoekendijk, 3rd Place The Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean.
On a stormy, grey morning, a horse rider meets one of the victims of a mass stranding of whales. Location: The Netherlands

Jules Casey, Runner Up Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (Hope).
Two pale octopuses sit on a pipe that forms part of an artificial reef built to attract octopuses and other marine life to the area.
Location: Australia

Gergo Rugli, Runner Up, Ocean Adventure Photographer of the Year.
A surfer braves a big swell, while the setting sun paints the sky red. Location: Sydney, Australia

Alvaro Lopez, 3rd Place Ocean Photographer of the Year.
A whale struggles on, its flukes severely damaged as a result of continued entanglement. Location: Mexico

Oceanographic Magazine: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Oceanographic Magazine.

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While Orthodox Jews, especially Hasidim, are often the subject of negative portrayals in the media, with their shared humanity rarely shown, this is a positive story.

Eddy Verloes, a photographer from Belgium took a black and white photograph of young Orthodox Jews joyfully running up and down a hill on what looks like a beach. The photo was taken after the pandemic, when everyone around the world was naturally going a bit stir crazy after being locked down for so long after the pandemic. He aptly titled the shot, “Losing Our Minds.” 

The photo was the winner in the Street category at the Great Photo Awards 2023, as well as the Grand Winner.

Verloes has won many awards as a photographer and has had his work in galleries around the world.

If you found this content meaningful and want to help further our mission through our Keter, Makom, and Tikun branches, please consider becoming a Change Maker today.

Royal Observatory Greenwich has revealed that photographers Marcel Dreschler, Xavier Strottner, and Yann Sainty have been named “Astronomy Photographer of the Year” for their stunning image, Andromeda, Unexpected.

The winning photo showcases a surprising and incredible discovery: a vast plasma arc next to the famous Andromeda Galaxy (M31).

The Royal Observatory Greenwich explains that an international collaboration of scientists is now investigating the large object seen by Dreschler, Strottner, and Sainty.

“It’s an enormous honor for our team to receive this important award and we are grateful for all the support, friendship, and encouragement we have received along our journey,” says Dreschler, Strottner, and Sainty. “It encourages us to continue to pursue our passion for astrophotography, and of course, research with dedication.”

“What does a discovery image look like? It is mostly a blurry black and white image that depicts an almost invisible faint dot or a spectrum that is incomprehensible to us. However, that was not the case this time. This astrophoto is as spectacular as it is valuable. It not only presents Andromeda in a new way, but also raises the quality of astrophotography to a new level,” says competition judge and astrophotographer László Francsics.

The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way and is one of the most photographed deep-sky objects. The discovery of such a large object so close to a galaxy that has been frequently investigated and studied is especially surprising. The arc has an extension of about 1.5 x 0.45 degrees and is just 1.2 degrees from the center of M31. It may be the largest such object that is this near to Earth.

Two Chinese Photographers Win Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

A pair of 14-year-old photographers from China, Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang, collaborated on the winning image, The Running Chicken Nebula.

Judge and professional astronomer Yuri Beletsky called it a “strikingly beautiful picture.”

The Running Chicken Nebula is 6,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus.

“Thank you to the Greenwich judges. We’re very glad to receive this achievement as winners of the Young Competition,” say Xu and Wang.

Category Winners

Alongside the overall winners in the adult and young astrophotographer classes, top images were selected for each Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition category. The contest includes eight adult categories: Aurorae; Galaxies; Our Moon; Our Sun; People and Space; Planets, Comets, and Asteroids; Skyscapes; and Stars and Nebulae. Each of the winning photos is featured below. Andromeda, Unexpected won the Galaxies category.

“Once again, entrants to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have conspired to make things difficult for the judges, with a flood of high-quality images covering an amazing range of targets. The highlight of this year is perhaps a number of genuine discoveries being imaged, but we’ve had wonderful efforts in every category and I’m particularly pleased to see the continued strength of our young entrants and those eligible for The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. It has led to some intense debate amongst the judges as we try to choose the very best of the best, but we don’t mind,” says Dr. Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich.

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year is organized by Royal Observatory Greenwich and is supported by Liberty Specialty Markets and in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. This year’s contest featured more than 4,000 entries from 64 countries.

The winning images will be displayed at the National Maritime Museum in London beginning on Saturday, September 16. All images that were shortlisted for each category are featured in a prior PetaPixel article.

Image credits: All photos individually credited and provided courtesy of Royal Museums Greenwich

A rare image of a monkey riding on a deer’s back has gone viral after the U.K. Natural History Museum released it in a preview of its Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The photograph, shot by Atsuyuki Ohshima in a Japanese forest, captured the rare — but not unheard-of — interaction between a macaque and a deer.

Atsuyuki noticed a sudden movement of the deer, a sika stag, and then noticed a Yakushima macaque springing off a tree and onto the deer’s back. 

Atsuyuki shared the photo, titled “Forest Rodeo,” on Instagram, explaining in the caption that “male macaques have been seen clinging to female deer and trying to mate with them.” 

“In this case, however, the macaque was a young female, appearing just to be enjoying a free ride,” the caption reads.

The Natural History Museum in London released the image and other photos that were “highly commended” in their categories of the photography competition.

After judging 49,957 photo submissions from 95 countries, judges chose 100 photos to showcase at the museum, beginning on Oct. 13. The winners of the competition will be announced on Oct. 10. 

Yakushima macaques are found on the island of Yakushima, off the southern coast of Japan. There are about 12,000 living on Yakushima, according to the tourism website for the island. 

There is also a heavy presence of deer on the island and they appear to be unfazed by humans, usually foraging around and only fleeing if a person gets within about 15 feet, according to the tourism site. They are often called “Yakushika” which is Japanese for “the Yakushima deer.”

There are an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 deer on the island. There are only about 12,000 people on the island, and in order to control the deer population, there have been periods of culling. 

There are many photographs of the deer and monkeys interacting on the tourism website, but Atsuyuki’s photo is museum-worthy.

A similar sight was caught on film in 2017 and researchers saw a monkey trying to mate with at least two deer in 2015, according to BBC News. They have also been seen grooming the deer or riding the deer playfully, which is the case for the macaque in Atsuyuki’s photo.

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

The winning images of the 2023 Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have been revealed by the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

This year’s winning image is Andromeda, Unexpected, which is not only a dramatic deep-sky astrophoto showing the closest spiral galaxy to our own, but also subject of scientific study.

Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner and Yann Sainty captured the image, which shows a huge plasma arc next to the Andromeda Galaxy.

The Andromeda Galaxy is the closest major galaxy to our own Milky Way, and astronomers are currently investigating the plasma arc seen in the image.

It could be the largest such structure nearest our Galaxy in the Universe.

The winning images of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition, now in its 15th year, were announced on 14 September 2023 in an online ceremony.

This year’s competition saw judges wowed by over 4,000 entries from 64 countries.

“It’s an enormous honour for our team to receive this important award and we are grateful for all the support, friendship and encouragement we have received along our journey” say the winning astrophotographers.

“It encourages us to continue to pursue our passion for astrophotography and, of course, research with dedication.”

Meanwhile the Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year award in 2023 went to Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang, a pair of 14-year-old photographers from China who captured the Running Chicken Nebula.

Other winning images in Astrophotography Photographer of the Year 15 include Brushtroke, which is a view of the aurora captured from Lapland, Finland, and Mars-Set, which shows the 8 December 2022 lunar occultation of Mars, captured by Ethan Chappel from Texas, USA.

Eduardo Schaberger Poupeau won the ‘Our Sun’ category for A Sun Question, which shows a filament on the Sun in the shape of a question mark.

In the People & Space category, Vikas Chander topped the list with a view of the ship Zeila stranded off the Skeleton Coast off Namibia.

A wonderful view of Venus captured by Tom Williams took the Planets, Comets & Asteroids category, while ethereal ‘cosmic fireworks’ are the subject of the Skyscapes category winner, captured by Angel An.

Dr Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich says: “Once again, entrants to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have conspired to make things difficult for the judges, with a flood of high-quality images covering an amazing range of targets.

“The highlight of this year is perhaps a number of genuine discoveries being imaged, but we’ve had wonderful efforts in every category and I’m particularly pleased to see the continued strength of our young entrants and those eligible for The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer.  It has led to some intense debate amongst the judges as we try to choose the very best of the best, but we don’t mind!”

You can see all the winning images in our gallery below, and can view all of the top entries from this year’s competition in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition at the National Maritime Museum in London, opening 16 September 2023.

The Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition is run by Royal Observatory Greenwich, supported by Liberty Specialty Markets in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine.

To keep up to date with this year’s competition on social media, follow @RMGreenwich on Twitter, @royalmuseumsgreenwich on Instagram and /royalmuseumsgreenwich on Facebook.

You can also follow the hashtag #APY15.

Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 winning images

The winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2023 have been announced, and the images are as stunning as ever. An unexpected plasma arc, galactic neighbors, and a unique view of Venus are all among the winning photographs.

This year’s competition had over 4,000 entries from 64 countries, but Marcel Drechsler, Xavier Strottner, and Yann Sainty took home the top prize for their photograph “Andromeda, Unexpected”.

The image features something quite unexpected next to the Andromeda galaxy – a massive plasma arc. This surprising discovery has since led to a transnational collaboration investigating the arc structure.

“This astrophoto is as spectacular as [it is] valuable. It not only presents Andromeda in a new way, but also raises the quality of astrophotography to a higher level,” said judge László Francsics in a statement sent to IFLScience.

The competition also runs an award for Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year, which was won by 14-year-olds Runwei Xu and Binyu Wang.

In what judge and professional astronomer Yuri Beletsky described as a “strikingly beautiful picture”, the two teens captured the colorful Running Chicken Nebula, located over 6,000 light-years away from Earth in the Centaurus constellation.

Other categories for the competition include images of aurorae, distant stars and planets, and of course, our Sun and Moon. Check out some of the winning photographs below.

Dr Ed Bloomer, astronomer at Royal Observatory Greenwich said, “Once again, entrants to the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition have conspired to make things difficult for the judges, with a flood of high-quality images covering an amazing range of targets.”  

“The highlight of this year is perhaps a number of genuine discoveries being imaged, but we’ve had wonderful efforts in every category and I’m particularly pleased to see the continued strength of our young entrants and those eligible for The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer. It has led to some intense debate amongst the judges as we try to choose the very best of the best, but we don’t mind!”

The winning images will be on display at the National Maritime Museum, London, from September 16.

Check out our video if you want to learn how to take amazing space photos of your own!