Luminous "ghost net" wins prestigious photography award while shedding light on growing threat to mangrove swamps

A small tree illuminated at night with blue light, surrounded by dark terrain and other faintly lit vegetation — The overall winner of the Mangrove Photographer of the Year 2026, *Tangled glow: When life meets the ruins,* Gaurav Patil, India (Image credit: Gaurav Patil / Mangrove Photography Awards)

This image of a luminous fishing net engulfing a mangrove in the dead of night is more than just an eerie yet interesting composition; it sheds light on the growing problem of “ghost gear,” discarded fishing equipment that’s polluting marine ecosystems and threatening wildlife.

Captured by Indian photographer Gaurav Patil, the image was taken near Nandgaon village, Maharashtra, south of Mumbai, and has just been announced the overall winner of this year’s Mangrove Photography Awards. Patil takes home the $1,000 (approximately £750 / AU$1,400) prize but, on a grander scale, has played a role in raising awareness of mangrove conservation.

“I have been watching ghost nets getting trapped in mangroves for the last several years, and I wanted to document it in an artistic manner to grab the attention of the viewers,” Patil told the Mangrove Action Project, the competition organizers.

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Mangroves are critical coastal ecosystems that protect shorelines from extreme weather and erosion and serve as essential nurseries for marine life, but are facing a severe and growing threat from ghost nets.

These abandoned fishing nets physically entangle wildlife, alter local hydrology, and can break down into microplastics, which animals consume.

Silhouetted lone tree reflected on calm water under a vibrant starry night sky and the Milky Way — **Landscape – On the Ground – Winner:** **Beneath Ancient Light,** **Ryuhei Suguri, Indonesia** Under the Milky Way, a solitary mangrove stands in shallow tidal water, its reflection still in the low tide – a quiet pairing of ancient starlight with one of Earth's most vital coastal ecosystems (Image credit: Ryuhei Suguri / Mangrove Photography Awards)

The photography competition aims to draw attention to these essential waterborne ecosystems, which experts say are at risk of collapse by 2050.

The organizers invite photographers to submit entries across a range of categories, including the relationship between locals and mangroves, stories of their conservation, and how they support wildlife.

Notable category winners at the 2026 awards included Lucas Gonçalves' aerial depiction of the Tejipió River in Recife (Brazil) separating shrimp ponds forming a natural tapestry from a vast mangrove forest.

There was also Ryuhei Suguri’s (Indonesia) mesmerizing long exposure of a single mangrove below the star-filled night sky.

The 12th edition of the Mangrove Photography Awards saw over 5,000 entries from 87 countries, and you can see the entire winners gallery here.

Aerial view of a river bordered by dense green forest on one side and segmented aquatic farms or salt pans on the other — **Landscape – From the Air – Winner:** **MangueBeat,** **Lucas Gonçalves Garcias**, **Brazil** Aerial view of the Tejipió River in Recife, dividing shrimp ponds maintained by residents of Ilha de Deus – many of whom depend on the ecosystem's health for their livelihood – from a stretch of mangrove forest partly filled in for a Navy zone. The varied colours of the ponds trace different stages and depths of shrimp farming (Image credit: Lucas Gonçalves Garcias / Mangrove Photography Awards)

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This award-winning photo reveals one of the ocean's most invisible threads: "ghost gear" – now the competition returns, looking for your images that dive deep beneath the beautiful.

Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from July 2026 to January 2027.

I’m a writer, journalist and photographer who joined Digital Camera World in 2026. I started out in editorial in 2021 and my words have spanned sustainability, careers advice, travel and tourism, and photography – the latter two being my passions.

I first picked up a camera in my early twenties having had an interest in photography from a young age. Since then, I’ve worked on a freelance basis, mostly internationally in the travel and tourism sector. You’ll usually find me out on a hike shooting landscapes and adventure shots in my free time.