After countless hours searching for rare seahorses in French Polynesia, a photographer captured...

A photograph showing an adult male seahorse with two tiny newborn juveniles in the shallow waters of Mo’orea, French Polynesia, has won the grand prize at the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 awards. French underwater photographer Julien Anton spent countless hours searching through underwater seaweed beds with local naturalists before finding the trio. He took the photograph during a rebreather dive using specialised lighting in the Pacific waters. The image first won the Wildlife category before being selected for the overall prize, competition organisers Oceanographic Magazine and watchmaker Blancpain announced on Thursday. More than 15,000 entries from photographers around the world were submitted across categories including Wildlife, Fine Art, Conservation and Ocean Unseen.A quiet moment after birthSeahorses are becoming increasingly rare across French Polynesia, making sightings difficult and unpredictable. In the winning photograph, the two tiny juveniles appear to turn back towards the adult male against the dark water. Male seahorses carry eggs in a special pouch and give birth to live young. This makes the scene look like a father releasing his young into the open ocea...