IN FOCUS

As part of the Blancpain Ocean Commitment, the brand's efforts to raise awareness of the ocean's beauty and support research and conservation, Blancpain fetes the winners of the Ocean Photographer of the Year award

- WORDS ZARA ZHUANG

Blancpain has announced the winners of this year's edition of Ocean Photographer of the Year, the award that the watch brand presents in collaboration with Oceanographic Magazine.

A macro photographer based in Indonesia, Yury Ivanov won over the judging panel for his photo shot in the waters of Bali depicting a pair of ladybug amphipods feeding atop coral. Not only did the image demonstrate its photographer's expertise – the crustaceans, which scavenge algae and seaweed, and frequently live among corals and sponges, are a challenge to document due to their 3mm length and their skittish movements – but it also impressed with the simplicity of its message: that the ocean is a place of wonder, colour and life of all sizes.