Registration open to participate in MARE FOTO26, the contest for the conservation of Balearic sea

The photography competition for the conservation of the Balearic Sea will award €10,000 in prizes and include an honorary mention dedicated to Joan Pereyra: the little things.

MARE FOTO, the Photography Competition for the Conservation of the Balearic Sea,  has opened the call for entries for its 7th edition and invites photographers of all ages,  levels and backgrounds to showcase the beauty, richness and fragility of the Balearic Sea and the Mediterranean. 

In this year’s edition, MARE FOTO26 continues its commitment to turning photography  into a tool for awareness, knowledge and action. Participants may submit up to 20  digital photographs related to the Balearic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, bringing to light their biodiversity, landscapes, people’s relationship with the marine environment,  success stories and also reports on the threats affecting the sea. 

Participation is free for under-18s, members of partner organisations and associated  diving centres. For all other participants, the registration fee is €10. 

MARE FOTO seeks images with photographic quality, visual strength and the ability to  convey emotions, but also photographs that tell a story and include a marine  conservation message. 

Each submitted photograph must be accompanied by a short explanatory text that  helps viewers understand the importance of the image, its context and the  conservation message it aims to convey. In this way, MARE reinforces its ultimate goal:  not only to show the sea, but to help people understand and protect it. 

Images must have been taken within the last five years and must not have won an  award in previous editions of MARE. The competition accepts photographs taken out of  the water, partially in the water or fully underwater.

MARE FOTO26 establishes three participation profiles: YOUTH, for participants under  16; AMATEUR, for participants over 16; and EXPERT, for participants over 16, with the  RAW file required if they are selected as finalists. 

Participants over 16 may submit their photographs in six categories: MARE Animalia, for images showing the biodiversity and personality of marine animals.  MARE Botanica, for photographs focused on algae, marine plants and other  photosynthetic organisms. MARE Sapiens, for images showing the positive relationship  between people and the sea. MARE Denuntiare, for photographs denouncing impacts,  threats or environmental issues; and MARE Nostrum, dedicated to the Mediterranean  Sea beyond the Balearic Sea area. 

There is also MARE Popularis, the public award, open to all participants and decided by  popular vote on the MARE website. 

MARE FOTO26 will award a total of €10,000 in prizes, as well as recognitions and  underwater equipment. 

At the expert level, the winning photograph in each category will receive €1,000, and  runner-up prizes of €200 will also be awarded to finalist photographs. At the Amateur  level, each of the 5 best photographs in the main categories will receive €300. In the  youth profile, the jury will select five winning photographs, each of which will receive  an aquatic expedition kit valued at €100. 

The MARE Popularis category will have a single €1,000 prize for the photograph  receiving the most votes from the public through the MARE website. 

The “Marine Protected Areas” Honorary Mention will recognise images that help raise  awareness of the beauty, natural values and benefits of the marine protected areas of  the Balearic Islands. This mention, which has been awarded since the 1st edition, aims to make these areas more visible and highlight the role they play in conserving marine  biodiversity, restoring habitats and supporting the sustainability of fishing activity.

The new feature this year is the “Joan Pereyra: the little things” Honorary Mention,  dedicated to macro photography and to a calm, respectful and attentive way of looking at  the sea. This mention pays tribute to Joan Pereyra, veterinarian, photographer, science  communicator, diver and MARE participant. Amador Garcias, MARE coordinator: “Last year  we lost Joan Pereyra, a person much loved by the entire community of marine  photographers in the Balearic Islands. This year, MARE wants to dedicate an honorary  mention to him and to his calm, respectful and attentive way of looking at the sea. We want  to focus on the small organisms, details, textures and forms, often invisible, that are also  part of the richness of the marine world”. Each mention will include three recognitions  without financial prize money. 

The jury for the 7th edition of MARE FOTO will be made up of Juan Carlos Calvín, Isabel  Díez and Carolina Wells. 

As in previous editions, the jury will assess technical excellence, originality, creativity,  composition, visual impact and the ability of the images to convey a marine  conservation message. 

The winning and finalist photographs from MARE FOTO26 may form part of a travelling  exhibition that will tour the Balearic Islands during 2027.