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UPY 2026 Coral Reefs - Winner
'Underwater Meteor Shower'
Dr. Tom Shlesinger
Corals are animals, and this is how they reproduce. Revealing the hidden world of coral reproduction exposes one of the ocean’s most extraordinary spectacles. Like clockwork, thousands of corals across hundreds of kilometers synchronize to release egg-and-sperm bundles into the open sea. Capturing this fleeting event is exceptionally challenging: it occurs only once a year, on a specific night of a particular month, within a narrow window of just minutes. Using a slow shutter speed as waves break and sweep the buoyant bundles upward transforms the scene into a colorful underwater meteor shower. This image is part of an ongoing scientific-documentary journey exploring the vibrant nocturnal life and reproductive rituals of corals in the northern Red Sea, a project shaped by more than 300 nights spent underwater during spawning season.
Judge's comment: Coral reefs are under pressure and struggling around the world, so it was fantastic to award such an uplifting image, celebrating the effervescent start of the next generation.
Alex Mustard
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