A journey across cultures, communities, and culinary traditions that bind our shared ocean
The Atlantic Ocean connects us all, from the Arctic fjords of Norway to the vibrant fishing harbours of Ghana. This summer, we invited photographers from across the Atlantic basin to capture the cultural richness and deep-rooted traditions that thrive along our shared coastlines. Today, we are absolutely thrilled to announce the winners of the All-Atlantic Photo Competition: A Celebration of Culture and Communities.
Participants were invited to submit photos that showcase traditional ways of living, Indigenous knowledge, and the artistic, culinary, or social expressions that define communities along the Atlantic coastlines. We received entries from professional oceanographers to passionate amateurs, from architects to marine researchers, all united by their connection to the Atlantic and their eye for capturing its human stories.
Our diverse panel of judges had the challenging task of evaluating each submission across five key criteria: relevance to theme, storytelling power, creativity, visual impact, and technical quality.
Category winners: traditions alive
First place: “Diablos and Congos” by Igor Shkvorets (Canada) Portobelo, Panama, 2025
Igor, a retired oceanologist who now sails the Atlantic for his non-profit Sail for Science project, captured the explosive energy of Panama’s Festival of Diablos and Congos. As Igor puts it, his crew was “impressed by the riot of colours, sounds and cultural fire!”.
Second place: “Inverted Cages: Where Birds Live Outside” by Pedro Léger Pereira (Norway) Båtsfjord, Norway, 2025
Portuguese architect Pedro, based in Arctic Norway, found poetry in practicality. His image of cod cages (protective structures built around drying fish to keep seabirds at bay) reveals a tradition unique to this harsh northern landscape. “It is one of the very few places in the world where such cages exist” Pedro explains “a quiet testimony to resilience and ingenuity”.
Third place: “Viagem no tempo” (Journey Through Time) by Artur Benevides (Portugal) Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, 2025
Artur’s photograph creates a stunning contrast between past and present in the Azores, showing people in traditional work clothing alongside the emblematic ox cart, preserving memories that shaped Azorean cultural identity within a modern urban setting.
Category winners: coastal communities and family ties
First place: “Arte-Xávega” by José Mestre (Portugal) Almada, Portugal, 2025
José returned to his photographic passion after a three-decade finance career to capture this UNESCO-recognised Portuguese fishing technique. Arte-Xávega, derived from the Arabic word for “fishing net,” represents not just subsistence fishing but a significant cultural expression of coastal communities. The practice is so important it’s now registered in Portugal’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Second place: “Fishing Communities – Another day at the office” by Natalia Ospina-Alvarez (Portugal) Accra Fishing Harbour, Ghana, 2022
Marine researcher Natalia documented the daily reality of Jamestown Fishing Harbour, where 4,000 people create a unique coastal environment where “housing, work areas and playgrounds are all mixed together”. It’s a powerful reminder that for many Atlantic communities, the ocean isn’t just nearby, it’s home.
Third place: “Two arcs, one ocean” by Daisy Ruhlmann (Germany) Lagune de Grand-Popo, Benin, 2023
Daisy, an ecology student passionate about marine conservation, captured two fishermen casting their nets in perfect synchronisation. Her poetic description speaks of “cooperation rather than competition, of shared rhythm and trust”, embodying the community bonds that extend far beyond the shoreline.
Category winners: artistic expressions
First place: “Blåtime. When the Arctic turns blue and light becomes shelter” by Pedro Léger Pereira (Norway) Båtsfjord, Norway, 2025
Pedro strikes again with this ethereal capture of the Arctic’s “blue hour” (blåtime in Norwegian) when a small glowing structure offers intimacy against the fjord’s immensity. “Although captured in the Barents Sea, this work speaks of one ocean.” Pedro reflects “The Atlantic knows no walls or borders”.
Second place: “The Jamestown Fishing Community in Ghana: A Living Story Along the Gulf of Guinea” by Thomas Lartey (Ghana) Accra, Ghana, 2024
Thomas showcased the vibrant street art and cultural expressions of one of Ghana’s oldest fishing communities, highlighting how the famous “Chale-Wote” Street Art Festival turns streets into living canvases celebrating African identity and ocean-connected creativity.
Category winners: tastes of the Atlantic
First place: “The Jamestown Fishing Community in Ghana: A Living Story Along the Gulf of Guinea” by Thomas Lartey (Ghana) Accra, Ghana, 2024
Thomas’s second winning entry focuses on the culinary heart of Jamestown, where traditional dishes like kenkey and fried fish represent generations of Atlantic-influenced recipes, showing how “the ocean combine to form a living heritage that defines the people”.
Second place: “From Sea Floor to Table: The Scallop Harvest” by Maire Einniu (Ireland) Galway, Ireland, 2025
Maire, head of Ireland’s marine innovation centre Nua na Mara and native Irish speaker from the Galway Gaeltacht, captured fresh scallops glistening on deck. These are “hand-picked treasures from Connemara’s cold, pristine waters” that embody how family recipes begin with the ocean’s bounty.
Third place: “White monuments” by Daisy Ruhlmann (Germany) Grand-Popo, Benin, 2023
Daisy’s second winning photograph shows towering salt pyramids in a modest building. These “white monuments” represent the patient, communal process of harvesting the Atlantic’s gifts. Each grain “embodies cooperation, tradition, and the enduring bond between people and the ocean”.
Honourable mentions: celebrating excellence
Seven additional photographs received honourable mentions for their outstanding contribution to our visual story of Atlantic cultures. These images will join our winners in the digital photo book and online showcase soon.
What’s next?
These winning photographs will take centre stage at the All-Atlantic Forum 2025, be featured in our digital photo book, and showcased across our online platforms. But more than that, they represent something profound: proof that despite our different languages, traditions, and coastlines, we’re all connected by the same ocean.
The diversity of our winners (spanning from Canada to Ghana, from marine researchers to architects, from seasoned professionals to passionate students) reflects the inclusive, collaborative spirit that this Alliance champions. This is exactly what the All-Atlantic Declaration envisioned when it was signed in 2022: bringing together voices from across our shared ocean basin.
View the winning photographs here.
