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Dancing Mobulas

Mia Stawinski

Netherlands

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A cheetah mother leads her two cubs at the break of dawn, on the lookout for their next hunt. This moment reflects a unity amongst this cheetah family. While the mum checked in on another cub behind her, this cub intently stared onto the plains and kept a look out for predators or prey.

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Nominee

Motherhood

While freediving in Akumal Mexico, a Green Turtle with a Remoras hitchhiking alongside him glided by me. I captured this moment to show how marine animals harmoniously co-exist.

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The HItchhikers' of the Seas

A group of mobulas appeared out of the blue and started dancing around me in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean in the Maldives. They graciously swam under me and the sun’s light perfectly lit up their wings - allowing me to frame this beautiful performance on camera.

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Honorable Mention

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People's Vote Award

Ocean Blanket

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Perfect Mirror

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Photographer of the Year

Amidst this sobering sight of bleached corals, I was captivated by the resilient display of colorful corals. The stunning shades of the corals serve as a testament to the incredible biodiversity and delicate balance of this tropical paradise.

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Flowers of the Ocean

Gold

A nurse shark glides silently above a bed of seagrass, its shadow casted on the vibrant greens below. Seagrass meadows, often overlooked, are crucial—they provide shelter for marine life, support the food chain, and capture carbon, helping to fight climate change.

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Seagrass Shadow

The mother and calf drifted together in perfect harmony, a yin and yang of unbreakable connection. It’s a powerful reminder of the love and bond that spans across species—a quiet celebration of the profound ties between mother and child in the wild.

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Unbreakable Harmony