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Oceania Photo Contest

More than just a photo competition.

A man with bolt cutters under water trying to cut a chain off a wild whale's tail.
Tauhi A day I never imagined - we answered a call about an entangled humpback whale thrashing in distress. Arriving, we saw a heavy rusted chain cutting deep into her tail. © Miesa Grobbelaar

Oceania is an extraordinary region - home to species and ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.

We started the Oceania Photo Contest because we know that a powerful photograph can do more than capture a moment. It can tell a story. Stories of wonder and resilience and connection. A photo, however ordinary, can do extraordinary things.

The Oceania Photo Contest is more than just a photography competition. It is a chance to join TNC’s growing community of storytellers, nature lovers and advocates helping inspire action.

The 2026 Oceania Photo Contest closed on 18 September 2026 and judging is underway. We are grateful for all the amazing entries - over 2,500! Winners will be announced in November 2026 - stay tuned!

Past Oceania Photo Contest Winners

2025 Oceania Photo Contest

We often think that art and science exist in separate vacuums, but this contest proves that notion wrong. The 2025 Oceania Photo Contest had 3,500 photos submitted from across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Nature is awe-inspiring.

See all the winners
A Kiwi bird being cradled in a man's arms.
A boy snorkelling through shallow waters on a reef.
A blue Peacock Mantis protecting a clutch of red eggs.
A young Tawny Frogmouth owl.
Pink, purple and green Aurora Australis. View All
A Kiwi bird being cradled in a man's arms.

Return to the Wild.: This photo of a precious kiwi being cradled speaks volumes, capturing the deep care, reverence, and hope behind every step of this remarkable return to the wild. © Tony Stoddard / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A boy snorkelling through shallow waters on a reef.

School Boy: While exploring the shallow waters, a school of curious yellowtail surrounded my cousin as he swam around the reef. © Tiana Reimann / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A blue Peacock Mantis protecting a clutch of red eggs.

Peacock Mantis and Eggs: A female peacock mantis shrimp stands upright surveying the area, while holding her large clutch of red eggs. © Peter McGee / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A young Tawny Frogmouth owl.

I'm Watching You: A curious young Tawny Frogmouth keeps a watchful eye in it's surroundings. © Donald Chin / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Pink, purple and green Aurora Australis.

Aurora Australis: Captured during a once in a lifetime solar storm in May 2024, Lady Aurora danced over the waters of Flinders blowhole. © Dylan Giannakopoulos / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

2024 Oceania Photo Contest Winners

The inaugural 2024 Oceania Photo Contest saw close to 2,000 incredible entries submitted from photographers across the Oceania region. Each image, across every category, brought something remarkable and unique, showcasing not just technical expertise but a deep understanding of storytelling and the moments that truly make us stop and think.

See all the winners
An underwater shot of a surfer riding a wave and a school of salmon directly beneath the surfer.
A Bee-Eater bird about to eat a Dragonfly.
A fish leaping out of water with a bird chasing it.
Birds flying around the site of a bushfire looking for food.
White veiny fungi View All
An underwater shot of a surfer riding a wave and a school of salmon directly beneath the surfer.

Salmon Surfer: One of the worlds best surfers Shane Dorian surfing around Margaret river, WA, Australia. Shot from underwater through a School of Australian Salmon. © Duncan Macfarlane / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A Bee-Eater bird about to eat a Dragonfly.

Toss of Life: In an extraordinary display of agility, this Bee-Eater snatched a dragonfly mid-flight, then swiftly perched on a nearby branch. © Naidu Kumapatla /2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A fish leaping out of water with a bird chasing it.

Roar of Anger: Egret fishing, meeting such a large Elops saurus, unable to eat, leaving a regretful look. The Elops saurus opened its mouth wide and rushed out of the seawater. © Xiaoping Lin / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Birds flying around the site of a bushfire looking for food.

Where there is smoke...: ...tthere's food. Kakadu, Northern Territory burn-off. Irresistible to the Kytes. © Michael S. Martin / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

White veiny fungi

White: I was able to present a group of Marasmius genus fungi found in Puhipuhi Valley Scenic Reserve in their best forms. © Chin Kang Chia / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

2023 Global Photo Contest

View 2023 Winners
A newt is silhouetted floating above a large mass of eggs. Light from above is diffused through the opaque eggs.
A bird in flight is silhouetted against a background of light and dark--the golden light of sunrise and a dark stripe of shadow.
A small community of boxy white building sits like an island surrounded by brilliant golden yellow farm fields.
Aerial view looking down on a lake. The water is red with a curling ripple of white through the center. Flamingos fly over the lake in a curving flock.
Looking down on a wide creek. The dark water splits the middle of the image, running between snow covered banks. View All
A newt is silhouetted floating above a large mass of eggs. Light from above is diffused through the opaque eggs.

Between the stars: Underwater shot of an alpine newt atop a mass of frog’s eggs © Litauszki Tibor/TNC Photo Contest 2023

A bird in flight is silhouetted against a background of light and dark--the golden light of sunrise and a dark stripe of shadow.

Dawn's Whispers: Graceful Hoopoe Silhouette at Sunrise: A Hoopoe took flight with its wings spread in a smooth motion across the canvas of the early-morning sky that was illuminated by the sunrise's bright hues.I saw that this bird would occasionally grab its prey in the air and other times on the ground. Additionally, I observed that each time it caught a prey, it flew in the same direction to a nearby tree. © Hermis Haridas/TNC Photo Contest 2023

A small community of boxy white building sits like an island surrounded by brilliant golden yellow farm fields.

Living inside the yellow fields: Aerial perspective of a small settlement of the city of Swidnica, surrounded by beautiful rapeseed fields. © Agnieszka Wieczorek/TNC Photo Contest 2023

Aerial view looking down on a lake. The water is red with a curling ripple of white through the center. Flamingos fly over the lake in a curving flock.

Magadi Airshow: The alkaline Lake Magadi provides breathtaking patterns on the surface of the lake to photograph flamingos. Lake Magadi, Kenya 12 Sept, 2023. © Neelutpaul Barua/TNC Photo Contest 2023

Looking down on a wide creek. The dark water splits the middle of the image, running between snow covered banks.

Black and White: Drone photo of a creek during a snowstorm, Salisbury Mills, New York © Derek Robertson/TNC Photo Contest 2023

2022 Global Photo Contest

View 2022 Winners
Aerial view of gullies that spread out in the shape of a tree, bisected by a highway.
A baby monkey clings to the carcass of its mother, which is being carried in the mouth of a leopard.
A polar bear nurses her cubs in a snowy landscape of an abandoned settlement with mountains in the background.
A mountain slope with frosted trees and a covering of light snow on the upper slopes.
A lightning bolt flashes above a volcanic landscape under thick, heavy clouds. View All
Aerial view of gullies that spread out in the shape of a tree, bisected by a highway.

Branching Out : On either side of a highway, gullies formed by rainwater erosion span out like a tree in Tibet, an autonomous region in southwest China. © Li Ping/TNC Photo Contest 2022

A baby monkey clings to the carcass of its mother, which is being carried in the mouth of a leopard.

An Unforgiving kingdom: A leopard known as Olimba carries the carcass of a female vervet monkey with its baby still hanging on for dear life. Picture taken in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. © Shafeeq Mulla/TNC Photo Contest

A polar bear nurses her cubs in a snowy landscape of an abandoned settlement with mountains in the background.

Breastfeeding in town: A female polar bear breastfeeding her two cubs of the year in the harbour of the abandoned Russian settlement, Pyramiden. © Florian Ledoux/TNC Photo Contest

A mountain slope with frosted trees and a covering of light snow on the upper slopes.

Adi: Slope of Mount Adi, in Navarra. © Francisco Javier Munuera González/TNC Photo Contest

A lightning bolt flashes above a volcanic landscape under thick, heavy clouds.

Mystical Bromo: Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) is one of the 10 priority tourist destinations in Indonesia. © Hendy Wicaksono/TNC Photo Contest

2021 Global Photo Contest

View 2021 Winners
A gorilla walks through a cloud of butterflies in a grassy field.
A tree completely covered in millions of fireflies at night in India.
Overhead view of a carcass of an alligator on dry, deeply cracked soil.
An aerial view of a mountain range emerging above thick clouds.
Aerial view of colorful salt ponds near San Francisco Bay. View All
A gorilla walks through a cloud of butterflies in a grassy field.

Malui: Western lowland gorilla female 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai. Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. December 2011. © Anup Shah/TNC Photo Contest 2021

A tree completely covered in millions of fireflies at night in India.

Fireflies: Just before Monsoon, these fireflies congregate in certain regions of India and on a few special trees like this one, they are in crazy quantity which can range in millions. © Prathamesh Ghadekar/TNC Photo Contest 2021

Overhead view of a carcass of an alligator on dry, deeply cracked soil.

Drought: Carcass of a Pantanal alligator (Caiman yacare) in the dry soil on the banks of the Transpantaneira highway, municipality of Poconé (Mato Grosso). © Daniel De Granville Manço/TNC Photo Contest 2021

An aerial view of a mountain range emerging above thick clouds.

Serra do Mar: In a helicopter flight through the sea mountain range, I came across this white cloud cover, which resulted in this magnificent image that resembles the head of a dinosaur. © Denis Ferreira Netto/TNC Photo Contest 2021

Aerial view of colorful salt ponds near San Francisco Bay.

Salt Ponds: If you have flown into San Francisco International Airport, you may have seen these colorful salt ponds over the bay. This aerial image was taken while flying my plane. © Jassen Todorov/TNC Photo Contest 2021

2019 Global Photo Contest

View 2019 Winners
Silhouette of sea lion illuminated by rays of sunlight under water, framed by kelp beds.
A small waterfall and stream tumbles alongside mossy rocks.
A polar bear swimming in water.
Silhouette of a bird singing against a green-hued background.
A zebra looks toward the camera. View All
Silhouette of sea lion illuminated by rays of sunlight under water, framed by kelp beds.

Burst: California sea lion framed by kelp beds in Monterey Bay, California. Grand Prize Winner for 2019 TNC Global Photo Contest. © Tyler Schiffman/TNC Photo Contest 2019

A small waterfall and stream tumbles alongside mossy rocks.

Wanayo Waterfall: A small waterfall and stream in Wasior, West Papua. © Diyanto Sarira/TNC Photo Contest 2019

A polar bear swimming in water.

Hope: Polar Bear in Svalbard, Norway June 2019. © Fernando O’Farrill/TNC Photo Contest 2019

Silhouette of a bird singing against a green-hued background.

Singing Silhouette: A Chestnut-sided Warbler sings out. © Raymond Hennessy/TNC Photo Contest 2019

A zebra looks toward the camera.

The Grevy's Illusion : A Grevy's zebra staring at the camera in Lewa, Kenya. © YARON SCHMID/TNC Photo Contest 2019