Living Oceans Society’s annual Ocean Exposures photo contest closes September 30, 2026. It’s open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province; you can enter up to five photos taken on Canada’s coasts, for free, through the contest page.
Photos need to fit one of three categories: underwater or surface shots of life below the water (Below the Surface), wildlife with the ocean visible (Coastal Wildlife), or people working or playing on the water (Working or Playing on the Ocean). No AI-generated images, and nothing previously published or that has already won another contest.
Winners in each category get gift certificates, outdoor experiences, and goods from Canadian sponsors, and a public-vote “Sea Huggers’ Choice” award adds one more prize package. Full rules, including editing limits (cropping and color correction only, no composites), are in the contest terms.
One thing to know before you enter: you keep copyright, but submitting gives Living Oceans a permanent, free, non-exclusive license to use your photo in its own materials. Entries are due by 11:59 PM PST on September 30, 2026.
Sea otters in British Columbia, photographed in 2016. Illustrative image, not a contest entry. Photo: Kristina D.C. Hoeppner / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Unmodified.
Take a moment to look at this.
