2024 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest Results
Thank you to all the photographers who shared their view of national marine sanctuaries with us! Click each photograph to see the full version.
Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos. Organizations other than NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation may use photographs submitted in this contest to promote sustainable and responsible activities in the National Marine Sanctuary System, as long as the photographer is credited. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.
Sanctuary Views
See the beautiful scenery of the National Marine Sanctuary System through visitors' eyes.
1st Place: Peter Reinold. McWay Falls in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
2nd Place: Elliot Gilfix. Sunset at Rialto Beach in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
3rd Place: Dustin Harris. Potato Harbor on Santa Cruz Island is one of few wind-protected places to hunker down for the night in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Even still, wind and swell sneak their way into the small anchorage under the setting sun.
Sanctuary Life
From tiny krill to enormous gray whales, thousands of species call the National Marine Sanctuary System home! This category depicts the amazing marine life that you can find in your national marine sanctuaries.
1st Place: Gabriel Jensen. This arrow crab (Stenorhynchus seticornis) was posing in front of a Caribbean long spine urchin (Diadema antillarum) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
2nd Place: Robert Lee. Giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) walks the deep coldwater reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
3rd Place: Kaelyn DeYoung. A humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) makes a dive at sunset in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Sanctuary Recreation
National marine sanctuaries provide an idyllic setting for a variety of recreational activities. This category celebrates the people who visit them.
1st Place: Daniel Eidsmoe. Camping under the stars in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
2nd Place: Christian Crook. Freediving into a school of akule in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
3rd Place: Gregory S Boland. Eyewitness to coral spawning of smooth brain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa) in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Sanctuaries at Home
While it's important to get outside, experience nature, and recreate responsibly, we know that many of us spent more time at home this year. Through art, stewardship activities from home, and responsible water-based recreation photographers shared how they connected with national marine sanctuaries from afar.
1st Place: Justin Wallace. Front Gardens of Fakarava, French Polynesia.
2nd Place: Daniel Eidsmoe. Kite flying near Palm Coast, Florida.
3rd Place: Suzy Cooper. Colorful kayaks in sunrise light at Fox Landing on Catalina Island, California.
Sanctuaries Around the World
Ocean connection can happen anywhere, not just in the National Marine Sanctuary System. This category portrays special places across the globe where you feel connected to the ocean and marine life found within it.
1st Place: Dan Shipp. A freediver enjoys the afternoon rays in the shallows of Swallow's Cave, located in the exquisitely beautiful Vava'u Island group in the Kingdom of Tonga. It is a quiet corner of a pristine marine environment protected under the Vava'u Environmental Protection Association.
2nd Place: Carolyn Copper. Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) are ocean-dependent birds that spend most of their lives on open water. The productive North Atlantic Canadian waters surrounding Newfoundland provide some of the best habitat for these beloved marine birds.
3rd Place: Tamara Christian. Lined seahorse male (Hippocampus erectus) in Blue Heron Bridge, Florida.
Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos. Organizations other than NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation may use photographs submitted in this contest to promote sustainable and responsible activities in the National Marine Sanctuary System, as long as the photographer is credited. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.