Marine Biologist Lawrence Scheele has taken out a top prize at the Whitley Awards for his field guide to the marine life of Magnetic Island.

Published late 2025, the guide is the world’s first book dedicated to the unique species found in the inshore coastal region of the Great Barrier Reef around Magnetic Island. It is the result of years of work photographing and researching the biodiversity of the area after graduating from JCU in Marine Biology. ‘I’m just really happy and grateful,’ Lawrence said. ‘It’s exciting to win something so early in my career.’

Awarded annually since 1979 by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, the Whitley Awards recognise outstanding publications that profile the unique wildlife of the Australasian region. Lawrence’s work took out the top prize in Wildlife Photography, and features over 900 photographs, including rare and previously unknown species. Australia-wide entries are judged by an independent panel of experts, with awards going to publications who make significant contributions to the field of Australasian zoology. ‘We self published this book so we weren’t sure we stood a chance, being up against museums and big government agencies,’ he said. ‘But this is the first field guide to the inshore great barrier reef ever, so it is definitely new material for the field.’

A Field Guide to the Marine Life of Magnetic Island, Great Barrier Reef has been clocking up plenty of attention, with its initial print run selling out within two weeks of release. ‘We were overwhelmed with the response. We had to order a second print run basically straight away, and now this one is also selling fast. It’s great to see locals get behind it, and we’ve had orders from all over Australia and the world.’

With collaborators Kaspa Blewett and Oliver Scheele, Lawrence has just finished a book and film tour, showcasing both the field guide and their short film Hidden Treasure: Magnetic Island. The film is an immersive celebration of the island's diverse marine species and habitats with stunning cinematography and original music. ‘It’s an adaptation of the book in a way,’ Lawrence said. ‘We wanted to give people visuals to engage with, to encourage them to be more interested in marine life and how they can care for these ecosystems.’

The trio will take a short, well-earned break to fly to Sydney for the awards ceremony on October 20th, where they’ll meet other researchers at the top of their game. ‘It’s just exciting to see Magnetic Island’s ecosystem getting some acknowledgement. I hope it can put our marine life in the spotlight, they’re under increasing threats so they need our help.’

Written for the everyday ocean lover and packed with information about the island’s ecosystem, A Field Guide to the Marine Life of Magnetic Island, Great Barrier Reef is available now from https://www.lawrencescheele.com/shop/p/book.

About the Award

A Field Guide to the Marine Life of Magnetic Island, Great Barrier Reef, winner of the 2026 Whitley Award for Wildlife Photography, is the world’s first guide to catalogue the inshore Great Barrier Reef species endemic to the area. 

Awarded annually since 1979 by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW, the Whitley Awards recognise outstanding publications that profile the unique wildlife of the Australasian region.