Oceanographic and the Ocean Photographer of the Year (OPY) are delighted to announce that, after the exhibition success in Sydney’s Australian National Maritime Museum at the end of 2024, Victoria’s premier maritime site Seaworks in Williamstown in Melbourne will display some of the world’s best ocean photography from 29 January until 13 July.
The Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition, a collaboration between Oceanographic Magazine and Swiss luxury watchmaker Blancpain, will display more than 100 winning and finalist photos from 2024’s OPY.
Glenn Jones, executive officer at Seaworks Foundation, said: “As a vibrant hub for maritime heritage and the arts, Seaworks is thrilled to showcase these stunning works from the world’s leading ocean photographers. It’s a chance to celebrate the beauty of our oceans and spark conversations about how we can all do our bit to protect them for future generations.”
A working maritime precinct, Seaworks is located on 2.74 hectares of prime waterfront at Williamstown. With spectacular views over Hobson’s Bay towards the city, Seaworks is a community asset that houses Victoria’s pre-eminent maritime museum and the Pirates Tavern, plays host to public and private events and festivals year-round, and is home to a number of creative arts and maritime tenants.
Will Harrison, director of Oceanographic Magazine and OPY, added: “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Seaworks to share the world’s most beautiful and thought-provoking ocean photography with the people of Melbourne! The ocean is the beating heart of our planet and its story is one that impacts us all, whether we live by the sea or not. Of course, the people of Melbourne are lucky enough to call the coastline their home, so I’m sure OPY will resonate especially deeply with them.”
The Melbourne exhibition brings together a number of partners, including the Hobsons Bay City Council, the Geoffrey Evans Trust, Quest Williamstown North, Hobsons Bay Community Fund, Fever and Australian National Maritime Museum.
In addition to this year’s exhibition, Seaworks is developing a permanent exhibition space in its maritime complex on the waterfront in Williamstown and will host the annual Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibition until 2029.
It follows the highly acclaimed Steve McCurry ‘ICONS’ photography exhibition held at Seaworks earlier this year, which according to Seaworks Foundation chairman Warwick Norman demonstrated the appetite of Victorians to view some of the best photography in the world.
“The Ocean Photographer of the Year display is of a similar calibre but with a strict ocean flavour to it,” Captain Norman said.
“It is aligned with Seawork’s vision of celebrating all things maritime. From turtles, whales and puffins to awe-inspiring underwater photography, it will be one the whole family will enjoy, particular during the summer holidays. It will also appeal to conservationists, scuba divers, surfers and anyone who just loves the water.”
Captain Norman said the ICONS exhibition drew crowds of 10,000 a month and Seaworks hopes the new OPY exhibition will bring similar numbers to Williamstown. “We would encourage people to pre-book tickets when they come on sale,” he said.
The Ocean Photographer of the Year Awards aim, each year, to connect with hundreds of millions of people around the world via digital, print and in-person exhibitions to tell the stories of the ocean. Winning photographs from this year’s awards will span categories including the Ocean Conservation Photographer of the Year (both in Hope and Impact divisions), the Ocean Adventure Photographer of the Year, Ocean Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and the Young Ocean Photographer of the Year among others.
The new exhibition will open January 29, 2025 and will run until 13 July. Tickets can be purchased here.
You can view all this year’s winners and finalists via the Ocean Photographer of the Year Winners Gallery.
