Photography is a beautiful way to see the world, offering us a peaceful escape into landscapes we might otherwise never encounter. The 2026 Mangrove Photography Awards provide exactly that—a mesmerizing window into some of the most unique and serene coastal environments on the planet. Now in its 12th year, this beloved competition received an impressive 5,258 incredible entries from photographers across 87 different countries.
Let's take a relaxed stroll through some of this year's most captivating and artistic visual masterpieces.
The Magic of Light and Artistry
The title of Mangrove Photographer of the Year went to Gaurav Patil from India, who captured a truly imaginative and artistic vision with his photograph, Tangled glow: When life meets the ruins. Using a 13-second ultraviolet exposure, Patil photographed a net glowing brightly in the dark on the tide-swept shores of Nandgaon village, located just south of Mumbai. The photographer aimed to document the scene in an artistic manner to catch the viewer's eye, and the result is a visually arresting image that turns a quiet coastal patch into a radiant piece of modern art.
Fascinating Wildlife Encounters
The awards also brought us face-to-face with an array of fascinating animals going about their daily lives. Mark Ian Cook’s brilliant aerial photograph, March of the Flamingos, perfectly frames a small group of pink American Flamingos wading alongside a juvenile Lemon Shark in the calm, shallow waters of Florida Bay. In another lively and colorful scene, Miguel Diaz Perez captured a beautiful dawn courtship display among a flock of Caribbean flamingos in a misty Yucatán swamp.
For a look at some of the more unexpected coastal residents, Kallol Mukherjee photographed two adorable jungle cat kittens taking a peek out from the dense foliage in the Sundarban Tiger Reserve. In the very same tidal creeks, Avijit Ghorai captured the brief, striking appearance of a juvenile Royal Bengal Tiger stepping out of the shadows and into the water. Bringing a sense of absolute tranquility to the wildlife category, Kerron Noel photographed a tiny, golden silky anteater curled up and fast asleep on a branch in Trinidad's Caroni Swamp.
Serene Landscapes and Starry Skies
Some of the most relaxing images in the collection focused on the quiet, still beauty of the landscape itself. Ryuhei Suguri’s breathtaking Beneath Ancient Light features a solitary tree reflected in calm, shallow tidal waters, perfectly framed beneath the dazzling, starry expanse of the Milky Way.
Thibault Gerbaldi’s A Silent Choreography highlights the peaceful unity of nature through black-and-white photography, showing a family of gracefully interconnected trees resting in the mirror-like waters of Walakiri Beach in Indonesia. Exploring pure structural beauty, Vladimir Borzykin’s photograph, Root of the solution, strips away the horizon to focus entirely on the fascinating, rhythmic patterns of exposed, tangled roots on a forest floor in Thailand.
These breathtaking photographs allow us to sit back, unwind, and appreciate the immense beauty of the natural world. Whether capturing a quiet moment under the stars or a vibrant flash of wildlife, the Mangrove Photography Awards provide a wonderful, relaxing escape into the artistry of nature.
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