Marine Wonders Through a Lens: Celebrating 10 Years of the Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest

By Mollie Schulman

June 2025

Since 2015, the Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest has captured the awe-inspiring beauty of America's national marine sanctuaries—both above and below the surface. With hundreds of participants and thousands of breathtaking photos, the contest welcomes everyone from budding teen photographers to seasoned professionals, all united by a shared love for the ocean and the Great Lakes.

What began as a simple idea has evolved into a vibrant global showcase. Today, the contest not only connects people with America’s premier underwater places and neighboring national parks, but also gives photographers a powerful way to share their work with a broader, inspired audience.

A Journey Through the Years

2015: The Beginning

The story starts in 2015, when NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries launched its first-ever Get Into Your Sanctuary summer campaign. Initially featuring just a few participants from Monterey Bay, Florida Keys, and Greater Farallones national marine sanctuaries, the contest was a modest experiment in public engagement. It quickly took off a few years later.

A kayaker in front of a sunset
Clare Fieseler: Photo taken while kayaking in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
a diver nect to corals
Sean Gravem: Photo taken of diver in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
a pug overlooking water
Margaret Lindgren: Photo of Bubba the pug taken overlooking Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary

2016–2018: Growth and New Categories

As interest grew, so did the contest’s structure. We introduced three main categories to better capture the wide range of sanctuary experiences:

  • Sanctuary Views (scenic landscapes and seascapes)
  • Sanctuary Life (wildlife in action)
  • Sanctuary Portraits (people enjoying national marine sanctuaries)

2016 Winners

photo of sunset in american samoa
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: A foaga site on Tutuila Island, National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. The basins in this volcanic rock have been worn over the years by people making stone tools. Credit: Jason Jaskowiak
photo of bird with green eyes
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: This young Brandt's cormorant was photographed preening on the rocks on the Coast Guard Pier/Breakwater in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Christina Parsons
photo of bleached coral
1st Place, Portraits: A photographer captures the sunset at Second Beach in La Push, at Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Selah Preskey Martin

2017 Winners

point arena lighthouse
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: The Point Arena Lighthouse, Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael Beattie
sea nettle
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: A bloom of sea nettles drifts through Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Curtis Wee
surfer above the waves
1st Place, Sanctuary Portraits: A surfer contemplates the swell at Lighthouse Point in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas Croft

2018 Winners

inspiration point
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: Inspiration Point on Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Donna Hendricks
humpback whales lunge feeding
1st Place, Sanctuary life: Humpback whales feed on anchovies in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas Croft
paddleboarder over shipwreck
1st Place, Sanctuary Portraits: A stand-up paddleboarder floats over the shipwreck of the steamer Albany in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bryan Dort

2019: Celebrating Visitors

In 2019, we added the Sanctuary Recreation category, shining a spotlight on bountiful opportunities for kayaking, snorkeling, diving, fishing, and exploring these special places. That year also saw a surge in participation from newly designated national marine sanctuaries across the country.

icoral reef with sea anemone
2019 1st Place, Sanctuary Views: Tiffany Duong. Molasses Reef, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Tiffany Duong
fish swimming around a shipwreck
2019 1st Place, Sanctuary Life: Bruce Sudweeks. Schools of fish swirl around the wreck of an old tugboat near Cape Lookout, North Carolina.
green sea turtle and divers
2019 1st Place, Sanctuary Recreation: Olivia Williamson. A scuba diver swims alongside a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.

2020–2021: Connecting at Home

During the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions made sanctuary visits harder. But the contest didn’t stop—instead, it adapted. We introduced a new category, Sanctuaries at Home, inviting people to share their connection to a sanctuary through art, stewardship, and local recreation. It kept the community engaged, even when we couldn’t be together in the same places.

2020 Winners

kelp forest
1st Place, Sanctuary Viewa: Jon Anderson. Sunbeams penetrate the canopy of a kelp forest in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as blue blue rockfish (Sebastes mystinus) congregate beneath.
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: Jon Anderson. A yellowfin fringehead (Neoclinus stephensae) peeks out from behind a red-rust bryozoan (Watersipora subtorquata) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
child surfing
1st Place, Sanctuary Recreation: Bruce Sudweeks. Catching a wave in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
chalk drawling of a seaturtle
1st Place: Jill Brown, Sanctuaries at Home. Sea turtles and tropical fish inspired by Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary make a big splash as delightful works of sidewalk art.

2021 Winners

Rocky farallon islands
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: James Moskito. Arch Rock South East Farallon in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Western snowy plover on a beach with bands
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: Yvonne P Wright. Western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus) at Seaside State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
body surfer catching a large wave
1st Place, Sanctuary Recreation: Anna Baker Mikkelsen. Catching a large swell at Sandy’s Beach in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
child painting a turtle at home
1st Place, Sanctuaries at Home: 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.”

2022: A Record-Breaking Year

As we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuary System, the photo contest reached new heights. Submissions skyrocketed (up more than 200%) as people from around the world joined in to “Save Spectacular.”

Two sea turtles make their way froma the beach into the ocean
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: Leighton Lum. Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) at sunset on Maui's west coast.
Flamingo tongue snail on a sea rod with a diver in the distance.
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: Daryl Duda. Flamingo tongue snail (Cyphoma gibbosum) on a sea rod with a diver in the background at Elbow Reef off Key Largo in Florida Keys National Sanctuary.
From inside of the cave, a large group of kayakers paddling near by.
1st Place, Sanctuary Recreation: Dustin Harris. Paddlers near Scorpion Anchorage, in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, explore sea caves and rock gardens. Kayaking allows for visitors to the Sanctuary and National Park to get up-close and personal with all of the unique ecosystems and features that inspired this area to be protected.
A watercolor painting of a leatherback sea turtle next in a journal next to some paint palettes.
1st Place, Sanctuaries at Home: Alison Hibbert. A watercolor painting of a leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) and some research documented in a journal.

2023–2024: Going Global

Building on the momentum of Sanctuaries at Home, we expanded further. A new globally accessible category opened the contest to participants worldwide, allowing anyone, anywhere, to celebrate and support marine conservation through photography. This category recognizes that while not everyone may have a chance to visit a national marine sanctuary in person, there are still ways to enjoy America’s underwater parks virtually and from home, every day, no matter where you live.

2023 Winners

Over under shot of the land and sea of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: Bruce Sudweeks. A simultaneous view of the land and sea at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Surfgrass (Phyllospadix sp.) and giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) can be seen under the surface of the ocean.
snorkelers are watching three turtles hover around a cleaning station.
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: Douglas Hoffman. Beautiful green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) floating elegantly in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Four kayakers are seen in the water near a cliffside, purple flowers decorate the edge of the clear water as birds fly overhead.
1st Place, Sanctuary Recreation: Chuck Graham. Tranquil kayaking through Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Boats on calm waters at sunset with sunset reflecting into the water.
1st Place, Sanctuaries at Home: Laurie Santoro. Mill Pond in Chatham, MA at sunset.
Aggregation of pygmy devil rays swim together through the dark blue water.
1st Place, Sanctuaries Around the World: María Rodríguez-Salinas. Aggregation of pygmy devil rays (Mobula munkiana) in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

2024 Winners

View of waterfalls and the small bay from the top of the coast ridgeline
1st Place, Sanctuary Views: Peter Reinold. McWay Falls in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Close up of a crab posing in front of a urchin, its long rostrum blending in with the urchins spines.
1st Place, Sanctuary Life: 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.
Man camping near the water's edge with flashlight pointing up to the starry sky.
1st Place, Sanctuary Recreation: Daniel Eidsmoe. Camping under the stars in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Over/under shot of homes on the water with beautiful trees surrounding it.
1st Place, Sanctuaries at Home: Justin Wallace. Front Gardens of Fakarava, French Polynesia.
Freediver underwater in cavern with rays of sunlight.
1st Place, Sanctuaries Around the World: 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.

2025: The Contest is Now Open!

This year’s Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest is officially underway, and we can't wait to see your shots! Whether you’re an underwater explorer, a beach walker, or a backyard artist, there's a category for you. Need some inspiration or tips? Check out these expert photography tips from past contest winners, and explore the winning photos from each category in the 2024 and 2023 contests.

Before the Labor Day deadline, remember to submit your photo, share your story, and help inspire the next generation of ocean stewards.

Mollie Schulman is the national social media coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and manages the Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest

Rachel Plunkett is the content manager and senior writer/editor for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries