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Save the Bay Photo Contest

CBF's annual photo contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers. Each year we seek your vision of the Bay region.

George Kurzik

Congratulations to our 2026 Save the Bay Photo Contest winners! Thank you to everyone who submitted photographs illustrating their vision of the Bay region—from Pennsylvania to Virginia, from the Shenandoah Mountains to the Eastern Shore.

Open to both amateur and professional photographers, CBF’s annual Save the Bay Photo Contest highlights the beauty and character of the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed through the eyes of those who enjoy it.

Make a donation today and help us continue our restoration, advocacy, and education efforts.

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Sign up to be notified when our 2027 Photo Contest kicks off.

The first-prize photograph will appear in CBF’s 2027 calendar. All winners will also receive a one-year membership to CBF and will have their photos displayed on CBF’s website, in a CBF e-newsletter, and in CBF’s Save the Bay magazine.

2026 Winners

First Place

Spiral Moon
George Kurzik (prize: $500)

The moon rises over a river covered with a whirlpool of ice fragments.George Kurzik
Along the Susquehanna River near Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, a full moon highlights a unique formation of broken surface ice.

Second Place

Time to Leave the Nest
J. Clarence Williams (prize: $250)

An adult bald eagle chases a spotted juvenile off a perch.J. Clarence Williams
An adult eagle at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore encourages its young to seek independence.

Third Place

A Winter’s Feast
Jim Watson (prize: $150)

A yellow cedar waxwing sits on a branch surrounded by frozen red berries, eating one of the berries.Jim Watson
In Centreville, Maryland, a cedar waxwing feasts on frozen berries after a winter storm.

Viewers’ Choice Winner

Party Crasher
John Reitzel (prize: $100)

Three great white egrets sit on a branch in the middle of a river as a juvenile white ibis comes to join them.John Reitzel
A juvenile white ibis interrupts a trio of great white egrets along the Conejohela Flats in Pennsylvania.

Winners Gallery

Check out our map below to see this and previous years’ winning photos and where they were taken.

View larger map

Map not showing? Go directly to winners map page.

What a Donation Can Do

You can help us protect this amazing treasure so future generations don’t have to rely on photographs to see and experience the beauty of our Bay. Your donation helps us continue our restoration, advocacy, and education efforts. Please show your support for CBF today with a generous donation.

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