Entries to NOAA’s 2026 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest are now being accepted.
Divers, underwater photographers, coastal visitors and ocean enthusiasts are invited to share images from the USA’s 18 ocean and Great Lakes national marine sanctuaries.
Hosted by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the annual contest encourages photographers to capture the beauty, biodiversity, recreation and heritage found across the United States’ underwater parks.
This year’s contest introduces four new categories:
- Life in Motion challenges photographers to capture wildlife behavior, from feeding and hunting to schooling, caregiving and symbiotic relationships.
- Sanctuaries and You highlights the ways people experience sanctuaries through diving, boating, paddling, research, education and everyday moments on or near the water.
- The Water’s Edge explores the boundary where land and sea meet, including shorelines, tidepools, coastal landscapes and split-level perspectives.
- Ripples From the Past focuses on maritime heritage, including shipwrecks, aircraft, lighthouses, historic bridges and cultural landmarks.
The contest is open through Labor Day, September 7, offering a summer-long opportunity to share the beauty, wonder and diversity of the USA’s national marine sanctuaries through your lens.
Winning photos will be featured in NOAA’s Earth Is Blue social media campaign.
To learn more about the contest and enter, go to sanctuaries.noaa.gov.
