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UPY 2026 Award winners - Up & Coming Photographer of the Year 2026
'Lunging Leopard'
Sam Blount
For years, the leopard seal topped my Antarctic wish list, a predator I dreamed of encountering face to face. I have to say, this dive was everything I could have hoped for: clear water, good lighting, and a playful seal. Leopard seals wield an astonishing array of dominance displays, and this one put them all to use, darting around me with effortless power. Watching that massive mouth lined with sharp teeth charge straight toward me is a thrill I'll never forget.
Judge's comment: Probably one of the best shots of a Leopard seal that close that I have ever seen! I think we all agreed very soon that this is the clear category winner as such a shot is everything but easy to take. The sheer short distance and the light that has to be perfect for is just perfect. Very well done in such an intense moment!
Tobias Friedrich
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