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Coastal Management in Action

Coastal Management in Action

Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the 2026 Coastal Management in Action photo contest winners. A panel of judges anonymously selected the winning photos and honorable mentions from over 100 submissions. Thank you to all the photographers who participated.

Areas We Protect

A vivid pink and orange sunrise reflects off still water with a silhouetted bare tree along the left shoreline.
Daniel Eidsmoe. Sunrise along Coco Plum Beach. Marathon, Florida.

A black-and-white beach scene with silhouetted figures on wet sand and a flock of birds taking flight overhead.
Leandro Ponce. Kids playing with birds at the beach. Pacific Grove, California.

Top-down view of a small alligator surfacing through dense bright-green duckweed.
April Swanson. Juvenile alligator in the duckweed. Port Royal, South Carolina.

Recreation

A red-lit kayak floats on calm water beneath a star-filled predawn sky, with a silhouetted bare tree on the shore.
Daniel Eidsmoe. A star-filled morning while kayaking in the Florida Keys. Marathon, Florida.

A glowing kayak floats next to a white bare tree under the Milky Way in a deep purple night sky.
Daniel Eidsmoe. Kayaking under a star-filled Milky Way. Marathon, Florida.

A large grouper rests near coral while a scuba diver approaches with a flashlight in clear blue water.
Daniel Eidsmoe. A scuba diver discovers a grouper. Key Largo, Florida.

Public Access

Weathered wooden trail signs reading ‘To Trail’ and ‘To Bird Shoal’ stand against a sweeping pink and gold sunset over a coastal marsh.
Paula Gillikin. Beaufort Inlet sunset viewed from the Rachel Carson Reserve nature trail. North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Aerial view of teal waves rolling toward a narrow beach strip lined with parked vehicles, including a van and SUVs.
The Surfrider Foundation. At the San Onofre Shoreline Resilience Project, a surfer pauses to assess how to return to shore after the tide rose during their session. San Diego, California.

Permitting

Vibrant green kalo (taro) fields stretch in front of dramatic Ko‘olau mountains under a blue, partly cloudy sky.
Melissa Rietfors. Kalo Fields at Kako‘o Oiwi, part of the He‘eia Reserve. Kaneohe, Hawai‘i.

Aerial view of a tracked hauler dumping a large pile of sand along a beach lined with coastal houses during a beach nourishment project.
Joe Faries. A tracked hauler dumps a load of sand during a nourishment project. Pickering Beach, Delaware.

Coastal Hazards

Broken wooden pilings of a hurricane-destroyed dock extend into the surf under a golden sunrise sky.
Daniel Eidsmoe. The ruins of a dock destroyed by a hurricane. North Redington Beach, Florida.

The Milky Way arches over an abandoned wooden boat painted ‘El Sueño’ on a rocky shoreline at night.
Daniel Eidsmoe. A boat named “The Dream” abandoned along the shore. Big Pine Key, Florida.

A beachgoer walks along sand beside a heavily eroded bank with exposed roots, palm trees, and a coastal home above.
The Surfrider Foundation. A beachgoer seeks to find a path down the beach. North Shore, Hawai‘i.

Marine Debris

Underwater seafloor scene of a discarded fish carcass surrounded by anemones, sea urchins, and shells in murky green water.
Max Johnston Gomez. Discarded fish scraps from fishing charters lying on the seafloor. Monterey, California.

Ocean Planning

Two surveyors stand in shallow water with a tall survey pole next to a rock breakwater, collecting underwater elevation data.
Nicole Ferris. A Martin County surveying crew collects critical underwater elevation data. Stuart, Florida.

A partially sunken cargo vessel lists in deep blue water surrounded by small boats and a red tugboat during an artificial-reef installation.
Nicole Ferris. A retired cargo vessel serves as an artificial reef called “Boo McCulley Reef.” Stuart, Florida.

Hazard Mitigation

Aerial view of a living-shoreline project: floating barriers extend from a green wooded coastline into a calm blue bay near a small coastal town.
Taylor Engineering. Aerial view of a living shoreline project. Jensen Beach, Florida.

Economics

A red fishing vessel named ‘Capt Carl’ sits at a working dock at night, surrounded by other boats with tall masts reflected in dark water.
Paula Gillikin. A barge works along the coast. Wells, Maine.

Bright orange California poppies bloom in the foreground above a calm blue harbor filled with anchored sailboats.
Paige Siegel. Golden California poppies in full bloom overlooking the harbor. Monterey, California.

Honorable Mentions

Aerial view of a small lighthouse on a coral reef in shallow turquoise water dotted with sailboats.

Daniel Eidsmoe. A drone view of Sombrero Reef Lighthouse. Marathon, Florida.

Overhead view of a seal pup swimming in crystal-clear turquoise water at Seal Cove, framed by green vegetation and a sandy beach.

Leandro Ponce. Point Lobos seal pup in Seal Cove. Point Lobos State National Park, California.

A glowing sunset over rippled water in Mobile Bay, with driftwood and rocks in the foreground and a silhouetted pier on the left.

Anne Scheurich. Sunset on Mobile Bay. Mobile, Alabama.

Arching tree branches frame a calm river bend with a dramatic golden sunset reflecting off the water.

Michael K. Anderson. Looking downriver toward Amik Island. Chambers Grove, Minnesota.

A rusted industrial pipe encrusted with colorful anemones rests on a mussel-covered seafloor; a small octopus peers from a hole inside.

Max Johnston Gomez. An old, broken industrial pipe with an octopus. Monterey, California.

Aerial view of a long sandy beach with newly constructed dunes stretching beside a coastal neighborhood.

Joe Faries. Broadkill Beach, following the realignment of a large constructed dune to address underlying issues. Broadkill Beach, Delaware.

Heavy bulldozers and dump trucks move sand along a wide stretch of beach as waves break beside them during a coastal nourishment project.

Jessica Garland. Crews work to move more than 400,000 cubic yards of sand along four miles of coastline. Hutchinson Island, Florida.

Two snorkelers swim above a vibrant coral reef with sea fans and tropical fish in clear blue water.

Daniel Eidsmoe. A couple snorkel at Sombrero Reef. Marathon, Florida.

A red fox stands alert on a snow-covered icy beach scattered with chunks of frozen seawater.

Karen Suhrhoff. A fox hunts on ice at the Scarborough Land Trust. Scarborough, Maine.

Rocky river rapids flow around an evergreen-covered island under a cloudy sky with hints of fall foliage.

Madi Rian. The Saint Louis River at Jay Cooke State Park. Carlton, Minnesota.