2021 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.

Sanctuaries At Home

Through art, stewardship activities from home, and responsible water-based recreation, photographers shared how they connected with national marine sanctuaries from afar. This category celebrates the people who found their sanctuary close to home.

child painting a turtle at home — **1st Place: Makerita Gebauer.** “Educating young minds about the beauty of nature and using art to showcase the importance of the ocean and its habitats for future generations.”

chalk drawings on sidewalk and person in SCUBA gear — **2nd Place: Jill Brown.** Chalk art of dreaming of diving the Christ of Abyss statue and the goliath groupers that lurk in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

group of people holding hands, arms raised up, posed in front of the ocean — **3rd Place: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.** Chain of Happiness at Bhavnagar coastal area in Gujarat, India.

Back to category winners

All submitted photos

ocean waves, beach visible in the distance — Spring tide in Atlantic City New Jersey. Photo: Mark Bolner.

city buildings lit up, orange sky — Sunset in Business Bay, Dubai. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

man playing guitar on the beach — Man playing guitar on a beach in Dubai, UAE. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

skyscraper at night — Tallest building in the world. Taken in Dubai, UAE. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

A dog walks on the beach — Exception is always there at Veraval Coast in Gujarat, India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

person's feet and blue shoes in front of blue ocean — Blue is the warmest color at Dwarka in Gujarat, India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

person's legs and feet, sitting on the beach, sticks and leaves stuck in the sand — HOME....at Goa Beach in India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

beach to the left and ocean to the right, palm trees and buildings on the beach, green algae on the rocks — People enjoying at the beach in Goa, India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

close up of sea sponge and marine plants, multicolored — Colours of the Sea... A rock covered by different species of Marine encrusting sponges of various colours at Okha Coast in Gujarat, India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

person in a standing yoga pose, in front of the beach — Adiyogi...Nature is the ultimate God in Goa, India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

pale colored zoanthus colony — Survival of the Fittest. This is a marine intertidal zoanthid colony. Between zoanthid, sponges and sea anemone are present at Veraval coast in Gujarat, India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

Sunset in Aqaba, Jordan. PHoto: Jade Jaubert.

shot through a tunnel, green trees reflected on water — Mirror, Mirror. Taken during a kayaking trip in Jupiter, Florida. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

blue sky, green trees, reflected on calm water — Crystal clear reflection, taken during a kayaking trip in Jupiter, Florida. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

close up of pelican perched — Pelican (*Pelecanus occidentalis*) awaiting the arrival of fishing boats in Marina Del Rey. Photo: Cheryl Frick.

birds group on the beach — Pelicans (*Pelecanus occidentalis*) and gulls (*Larus occidentalis*) at Dockweiler Beach in Southern California. Photo: Cheryl Frick.

whale tail crashing on the surface — Breaching whale off the coast of Southern California, near Marina Del Rey. Photo: Cheryl Frick.

fish drawn in chalk on the sidewalk — Sidewalk chalk art of dreaming about the mahi mahi's that live in the Florida Keys. Photo: Jill Brown.

cloudy sunset/sunrise over lake — South Twin Lake, Millinocket, Maine. Photo: Michelle Koller.

red/orange sun over calm water, lake surrounded by hills — Sun over South Twin Lake, Millinocket, Maine. Photo: Michelle Koller.

a diver next to a shipwreck — The shipwreck (*Sanduskey*) located in the Straits of Mackinac underwater preserve in Michigan. Photo: Jon Mead.

sea turtle swimming, taken from the sky above — A female green turtle (*Chelonia mydas*) in Esentepe beach in North Cyprus. Photo: Finlay Pitt.

turtle swimming at the bottom of the water — A female green turtle (*Chelonia mydas*) out from Alagadi nesting beach in North Cyprus. Photo: Finlay Pitt.

shot from the sky, beach — West South' sea turtle nesting beach in North Cyprus. Photo: Finlay Pitt.

close up of bright colored nudibranch — This photo was taken in an Island called “La Roqueta” located in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico. This photo shows an Agassiz’s nudibranch (*Felimare agassizii*). Photo: Fernando Mejia Gonzalez.

close up of hermit crab — Giant hermit crab (*Petrochirus diogenes*) taken on Peanut Island. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

pile of rocks — Rocks in Pittsburgh. Photo: Jonathan Harris.

people walk on the jetty at the beach. sea lions and gulls on the beach. gull flying — Taken in La Jolla, San Diego during a sunny winter day. This composition was taken when one gull ( *Larus occidentalis*) was flying alone while sea lions (*Zalophus californianus*) were resting on the beach and humans were enjoying the beauty. Photo: Clarissa Cervantes.

small group of people on a red boat, beach and trees in the background — Ocean's Lap...A group of people enjoying the ride at the southern coastal part of India. Photo: Zalak Ghanshyambhai Sabapara.

orange clownfish in an anemone — First time seeing a clownfish (*Amphiprion omanensis*) in an anemone (besides Finding Nemo) in the wild. Taken on my first dive in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

extreme close up of a red sea star — The mouth and underside of a red ochre sea star (*Pisaster ochraceus*) in Stanley Park, Vancouver BC. Photo: Sophie Kerr.

A female loggerhead taking a deep breath after laying her eggs on Alagadi beach. Photo: Finlay Pitt.

dark water with a ray — Spotted eagle ray (*Aetobatus narinari*) taken off the coast of Peanut Island during a day of coral and fish monitoring surveys. Photo: Jade Jaubert.

humpback whale sculpture — Whale Sculpture at Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Humpback Whale Sanctuary, Maui. Photo: Taylor-Rose Stone.

Two children sitting on the beach. One sits on a tree stump, the other holds a slingshot. — The children want to crack the sky to fulfill your desires. Their dream is full of hopes as the sky and the sea gives the flow to live life. Photo: Raju Das.

front of a small white boat, green water, and cloudy sky — Lagoon boat at Palmyra Atoll, part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. Photo: Adi Khen.

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 recreation in the National Marine Sanctuary System. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.