About / Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Funding / Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Fellowship / Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Coastal Management in Action Photo Contest

Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the 2025 Coastal Management in Action photo contest winners. A panel of judges anonymously selected winning photos and honorable mentions from over 100 submissions. Thank you to all the photographers out there.

Areas We Protect

A dirt path winds on the left with grass on the side and water on the right. A green-covered mountain in the distance and a rainbow stretching over it all.
Melissa Rietfors. Rainbow over the Paepae o He'eia fishpond. He'eia National Estuarine Research Reserve.

A black bird with red shoulders flies through tall grass.
Christopher Rose. Red-winged blackbird. Southern Connecticut.

Aerial image of a single stingray swimming through teal water.
Julio Aguilar. A stingray that broke off from its family. Clearwater, Florida.

Aerial image of rocky cliffs stretching into blue-green water.
Julio Aguilar. Top-down view of a small cluster of cliffs. Wells, Maine.

A marsh with winding rivers and high points covered in trees all covered by fog.
Julio Aguilar. Foggy morning along the marsh on Crane Beach. Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Recreation

Overhead view of a jetskier driving in circles.
Julio Aguilar. A jet skier enjoying the coast off Clearwater Beach. Clearwater, Florida.

The sun sets almost to the water between two palm trees over a beach ending in rocks stretching into the water.
Polina Dineva. A golden sunset framed by palm trees on O'ahu's North Shore. O'ahu, Hawaii.

Looking down from a high place towards the water with trees and greenery across the land. Another mountain in the distance.
Polina Dineva. View from a coastal hiking trail of the Ko'olau Mountains, Moli'i Pond, and the Kaneohe Bay. O'ahu, Hawaii.

Public Access

Aerial view of a beach with waves washing ashore from teal water.
Julio Aguilar. Aerial view along the coastline of Crane Beach. Ipswich, Massachusetts.

Permitting

A large river with a beach dotted with rocks and new plantings and trees on the land. Buildings are along the water’s edge.
Martin County. The living shoreline project in Twin Rivers Park with added sand, rock barriers, and freshly planted mangroves and seagrapes. Stuart, Florida.

Coastal Hazards

A large construction truck on the beach working to build a riparian barrier.
Nicole Ferris. Crews work on laying down riprap at the living shoreline project at Twin Rivers Park to protect the shoreline from erosion. Stuart, Florida.

Marine Debris

A large shrimp boat is tipped over and stuck in the water next to old pier pilings. A smaller boat is in the distance.
Megan Chevis. Mississippi State University Extension working with law enforcement to record abandoned and derelict vessels. Harris County, Texas.

Ocean Planning

Grass and trees lead to two enclosed bodies of water before reaching the ocean. Mountains in the distance.
Polina Dineva. Moli'i Pond, one of Hawai'i's oldest loko i'a (fishponds), against the backdrop of Kaneohe Bay. O'ahu, Hawaii.

Hazard Mitigation

A stretch of beach with water on one side and new sand on the other stretching to a building over the water.
Jessica Garland. The sun rises over a newly constructed seawall built to safeguard the Bathtub Beach coastline. Stuart, Florida.

Economics

Aerial view of a barge next to a sandbar.
Julio Aguilar. A barge working along the coast of Wells, Maine.

Honorable Mentions

Two people stand outlined by the setting sun. One holds a long pole. The other throws a large net over the water.

Anjan Ghosh. Two fishermen cast their net in the Nilganj Bartibill wetlands. West Bengal, India.

A person walks through shallow water surrounded by tall grass holding two square baskets.

Anjan Ghosh. Setting bamboo fish traps in the flooded rice fields. Sonarpur, West Bengal, India.

A baby sea turtle climbs over the bumps in the sand surrounded by small pieces of seaweed.

Christopher Rose. Loggerhead turtles hatching in the early morning at Bill Baggs State Park. Key Biscayne, Florida.

The sun rises over waves washing ashore and a long pier in the distance.

Barb Lynch. Sunrise over Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina.

A small fiddler crab waits next to a hole in the sand.

Christopher Rose. Fiddler crab. Southern Connecticut.

The sun rises over the water with a jetty across the photo and a large ship in the distance.

Jane Edwards. The passenger ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands at sunset. Hatteras, North Carolina.

Two people stand in the distance on frozen water reflecting the sky.

Amanda Kovach. Family walk along the frozen Lake Erie beach at East Harbor State Park. Danbury Township, Ohio.