AnOther teams up with environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans on a month-long photography project celebrating the deep-blue yonder
In 2012, the environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans launched as a space for creatives and innovators to celebrate the oceans, spread awareness and inspire action and conservation. Today, on World Oceans Day, we’re partnering with them to invite photographers to submit photos of the sea inspired by the following brief: “beauty and fragility.”
Surfacing more than 70 per cent of our planet, the oceans are a stark representation of our impact on the planet; a body of water slowly muddied by years upon years of human activity, reacting to affliction like any sentient being would. It’s our most important ecosystem after all. Parley’s mission to turn the ship on irreversible damage is crucial for humanity’s progression – without the ocean, we have nothing.
The sublime beauty of our oceans can’t be underestimated, yet with only five per cent explored and charted by humans, much remains a mystery beneath its surface; we still have an incredible amount to understand from the deep-blue yonder.
Our World Oceans Day photo competition invites participants to upload their submissions to Instagram, tagging @parley.tv and using the contest hashtag #StateOfTheOceans. In one month, a shortlist will be compiled and a winner will be selected by photographer Harley Weir who, in 2018, curated an exhibition called rubbish_1 about plastic waste.
Weir’s surreal work is a prime example of contemplative environmental photography, encouraging viewers to reflect on the enduring nature of waste and its effects on the environment we live in, as well as confronting the apathy to one of our generation’s greatest threats.
Some of the best entries will be whittled down and published on AnOther, and the winner will be sent on a journey into the wild with a Parley crew in 2023 to document the eye-opening, day-to-day work of their team. From today, the competition is open to all – and we encourage participants from anywhere, any age and any skill level. Good luck!