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Nature's Best Photography 2018

Explore the winning photos from the 2018 Nature's Best Photography contest! Every year since 1996, photographers from around the world have entered this competition for the chance to display their images at the annual exhibit at the National Museum of Natural History. This year 60 photographs were selected from 26,000 entries. Here is a selection of ocean themed images from the winners and honorable mentions. To see all the winners stop by the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. You can also see the winners from 2012, 2011 and 2010.

A close up of a grey whale face
a gentoo penguin with two chicks
A diver swims with a camera in a school of fish
a blue-ringed octopus with eggs in a seashell
two humpback whales swim underwater
an octopus with rainbow colored webbing between its arms
a clownfish peeks out from its anemone
a shark and a group of pilot fish with black and white stripes
a manta ray swims up revealing its underside
an aerial view of seals on an ice floe
a manatee and school of fish a the ocean's bottom
an aerial view of seals on a shoreline
A whale shark swimming with fish
Polar ice melting during sunset
A close up of a grey whale face

Grey Whale

Credit: © Claudio Contreras Koob / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Winner

“Every winter, grey whales embark on an enormous migration  from the freezing waters of the Arctic to the mild coastal lagoons of central Baja  California. I was there photographing for  WILDCOAST,  an  organization that supports protecting the region ’s wetlands to ensure a healthy habitat for the breeding whales. I was  fortunate  to  find  this  totally  relaxed  whale  approaching  our  boat,  which  allowed  me to  carefully  introduce  my  camera  partially  into  the  water  to  show  his  brilliant  eye  and  smile.” — Claudio Contreras Koob

a gentoo penguin with two chicks

Gentoo Penguins

Credit: © Anil Sud / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Polar Passion Highly Honored

“We arrived on the Antarctic peninsula as penguin chicks were growing large and mobile. I spotted two chicks being fed by their parent. While they were high on a rock, I chose a low angle and long focal length to isolate the group against the backdrop of the sky for an intimate portrait.” —Anil Sud

A diver swims with a camera in a school of fish

Free Diver with Blue MaoMao and Red Pigfish

Credit: © Robert Marc Lehmann / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Outdoor Adventure Highly Honored

“The water was quite cold and the current was very strong when I took this image while free diving, which makes it even harder to get everything right. I had to hold my breath as I was waiting at a 33-foot depth, lying on the rocks so as not to disturb the swarm. The free diver came down through the thick layer of fishes with the daylight in the background. I like the little red pigfish sneaking into the image.”—Robert Marc Lehmann

a blue-ringed octopus with eggs in a seashell

Greater Blue-ringed Octopus and Eggs

Credit: © Yung-Sen Wu / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“At 89 feet deep, I came upon a blue-ringed octopus sucking in and blowing out yellow eggs. I adjusted the settings on my camera, waiting for the perfect moment to catch the amazing behavior.”—Yung-Sen Wu

two humpback whales swim underwater

Humpback Whales

Credit: © Vanessa Mignon / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“Every year, humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to the warm waters of Tonga to give birth. During that time, it’s sometimes possible to swim with them. This pair was moving slowly and staying close to each other, as if in a graceful underwater ballet.”—Vanessa Mignon

an octopus with rainbow colored webbing between its arms

Violet Blanket Octopus

Credit: © Songda Cai / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“A colorful blanket octopus drifts freely, with its wings spread out, extended over the black background as if it is soaring through outer space. The tiny octopus was trying to appear larger than it really is.”— Songda Cai

a clownfish peeks out from its anemone

Clark's Anemonefish

Credit: © Pedro Carrillo / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“A juvenile clownfish was found hiding in the mouth of a beaded sand anemone, the favorite host of the fish. Known as a nursery, it is often a temporary home for young clownfish on their journey to find a more suitable host for adulthood. Its mesmerizing pattern beautifully frames the orange color of the contrasting tiny fish.”—Pedro Carrillo 

a shark and a group of pilot fish with black and white stripes

Oceanic Whitetip Shark and Pilot Fish

Credit: © Greg Lecoeur / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“This shark is an apex predator, and is an important species for the good health of the ocean. Accompanied by pilot fish, this inquisitive pelagic shark inspects everything and does not hesitate to come into contact with divers.” —Greg Lecoeur

a manta ray swims up revealing its underside

Reef Manta Ray

Credit: © Gabriel Barathieu / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“In the lagoon at Mayotte, I saw the ray coming toward me shoving the sand like a fighter. It was a moment I could not miss. I went down to sit at the bottom and face the giant without moving. It passed just above me, like a plane taking off. Magnificent!”— Gabriel Barathieu 

an aerial view of seals on an ice floe

Crabeater Seals

Credit: © Cristobal Serrano / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“Crabeater seals’ lives are inexorably linked to sea ice; it provides a  place to rest, mate, give birth, and raise pups. Due to global warming, the pace of sea ice melting is increasing. The issue is highlighted by this scene  of 40 seals that are densely packed on a small ice floe.”—Cristobal Serrano

a manatee and school of fish a the ocean's bottom

Florida Manatee

Credit: © Carol Grant / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Ocean Views Highly Honored

“Is this manatee communing with the fish? Only it knows for sure. Both this  stretching manatee and the school of snappers treasure the warm outflow of  the freshwater at Three Sisters Springs during the winter.”—Carol Grant

an aerial view of seals on a shoreline

Skeleton Coast

Credit: © Arby Lipman / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Landscapes Highly Honored

“Although the Namibian coast contains countless seal colonies, we spent most of the helicopter's fuel looking for one that was both visually pleasing and had enough seals to convey their sheer numbers. I used  a wider-angle lens to add an abstract quality to the  image and a 50-megapixel camera to give detail to the seals.”—Arby Lipman

A whale shark swimming with fish

Filtering Giants

Credit: © Howard and Michele Hall / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Nature in Motion Winner

“‘Filtering Giants’ is a story about the whale sharks and manta rays that gather to feed on clouds of eggs produced during the mass spawning of snapper and tuna near Isla Mujeres in the Gulf of Mexico. Solitary,  docile, and highly migratory, whale sharks are the largest known fish reaching nearly 50 feet in length. Giant manta rays are the world’s largest species of ray, and can have a wingspan of more than 20 feet. Both  species filter-feed on krill, crustaceans, and small fish by sucking in water, passing it over their gills, and trapping the prey inside their mouths. They also feed on fish eggs during mass spawning events. How these  animals know when and where the fish will spawn is a mystery.”—Howard and Michele Hall

Polar ice melting during sunset

Polar Ice

Credit: © Andy Rouse / Nature's Best Photography Awards 2018

Polar Passion Winner

“While leading one of my many expeditions to Svalbard, I was on a Zodiac cruise at sunrise and came across this amazing ice formation. I was struck by its familiar shape and photographed the ice backlit against the colors reflected on the water. People see different things in this image; I see a Siamese cat.”—Andy Rouse

Tags: Photography