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.

View of waterfalls and the small bay from the top of the coast ridgeline
1st Place: Peter Reinold. McWay Falls in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Sun setting at a rocky beach
2nd Place: Elliot Gilfix. Sunset at Rialto Beach in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.
Oval-shaped natural harbor filled with wind ripple waves, shining in orange sunset glow
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.
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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.

Close up of a crab posing in front of a urchin, its long rostrum blending in with the urchins spines.
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.
Giant Pacific Octopus walks the deep coldwater reef.
2nd Place: Robert Lee. Giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) walks the deep coldwater reef in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Whale tale above the water during a breathtaking sunset.
3rd Place: Kaelyn DeYoung. A humpback whale (Megaptera novaengliae) makes a dive at sunset in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This photo was taken with a zoom camera lens from a safe distance. Please remember to follow wildlife viewing guidelines when observing marine life.
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Sanctuary Recreation

National marine sanctuaries provide an idyllic setting for a variety of recreational activities. This category celebrates the people who visit them.

Man camping near the water's edge with flashlight pointing up to the starry sky.
1st Place: Daniel Eidsmoe. Camping under the stars in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Freediving into a school of fish.
2nd Place: Christian Crook. Freediving into a school of akule in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Diver swimming next to the shocking spectacle of simultaneous mass egg bundle release from a large brain coral.
3rd Place: Gregory S Boland. Eyewitness to coral spawning of smooth brain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa) in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
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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.

Over/under shot of homes on the water with beautiful trees surrounding it.
1st Place: Justin Wallace. Front Gardens of Fakarava, French Polynesia.
Drone view of a woman flying a kite.
2nd Place: Daniel Eidsmoe. Kite flying near Palm Coast, Florida.
Colorful kayaks in morning light.
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.

Freediver underwater in cavern with rays of sunlight.
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.
Atlantic puffin on land carrying a flower in its beak.
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.
A handsome dark pinkish red seahorse male waits patiently for his nearby lady.
3rd Place: Tamara Christian. Lined seahorse male (Hippocampus erectus) in Blue Heron Bridge, Florida.
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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.