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Platinum blond crabeater seals lounged on divans of drifting ice, basking in the sun.

Crabeater seals, minke whales, narwhals and humpback whales were also recorded.

Eventually one was spotted, and the men were happy to see it was inhabited by a large crabeater seal.

French photographer Florian Ledoux took the winning photo, entitled Above the Crabeater Seals, in Antarctica.

"The balletic rhythm of these crabeater seals and the ethereal landscape of the pitted iceberg creates a composition that draws you into a corner of the world that few people have witnessed. The multiple subjects take my eyes on a journey through the frame and into the icy ocean of Antarctica," said Alex Mustard, one of the contest judges, in a statement.