Great Lakes_Content Page_2022 Photo Contest

Wisconsin's Great Waters 2022 Photo Contest and Writing Project

Winners and submissions

The Office of Great Waters is pleased to present our 14th annual calendar, along with the winners and submissions from the 2022 Great Waters Photo Contest and Writing Project. As the calendar, photos and writings clearly show, the Great Lakes and Mississippi River are among Wisconsin's most scenic and beloved natural resources.

Thank you to all 2022 photographers and authors for sharing your talent with us!

2022-2023 Calendar

Cover of the 2022-2023 calendar featuring 4 photos in vertical rectangles.

We hope this calendar will serve as a daily reminder of the magnificence of Wisconsin's Great Waters and how we all can help protect them. The calendar is a unique collection of photos from our 2022 photo contest, creative writings submitted by Wisconsin authors and descriptions of stewardship projects. It is typically distributed at DNR events and state parks, visitor centers and DNR regional offices throughout the state.

2022 Winning Photographs

The Office of Great Waters received more than 500 beautiful photos of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the Mississippi River for the 2022 contest. Winning photographs are featured in the 2022-2023 Wisconsin's Great Waters Calendar.

People Enjoying Our Great Waters

A young boy wearing sunglasses smiling at the camera paddles his younger sister on a blue paddleboard in a shallow beach on Madeline Island.

1st Place: The Expert Paddlers by Laura Studee. Big Bay Town Park, Madeline Island

A kite surfer gains air in a choppy Lake Superior with the sunbeams piercing through dark grey stormy skies.

2nd Place: Wind, Storm, Surf by Paul Ostrum. Wisconsin Point, Superior

Honorable Mention: Joanne Kurowski, Phyllis Bankier, Kevin O’Donnell, Arun Christopher Manoharan, Kristine Hinrichs, Bob Fritsch, Joseph Eichers, Doug Stacey

Cultural And Historical Features

Bright orange sunrise over the Sturgeon Ship Canal Lighthouse in the foreground.

1st Place: First Light by Andrew Reinders. Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Lighthouse

A tugboat towing a ship in the background with the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal with the lighthouse in the forground with a vivid purple, pink and peach skyline.

2nd Place: Tug Towing by Joanne Kurowski. Sarter Marine Towing into the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal

Honorable Mention: Paulette Marzahl, Paul Ostrum, Kristine Hinrichs, Bob Frisch, Norma Larrabee Gabriel, Karen Gersonde, Ben Young, Garrett Hackbarth

Natural Features

Blue and purple stratocumulus clouds captured along with a flash of lightening with dozens of sailboats parked in the South Shore Park.

1st Place: Morning Storm by Kristine Hinrichs. South Shore Park, Milwaukee

A single red lighthouse peaks out of some fog with bright blue cumulonimbus clouds appears in the background. A handful of seagulls fly in the blue sky.

2nd Place: Perfect Scene by Bob Fritsch. Sheboygan

Honorable Mention: Andrew Reinders, Brad Bellisle, Kevin O’Donnell, Jim Koepnick, Wendi Huffman, Robert Guschl, Jim Peacock, Paulette Marzahl

Wildlife

Dozens of white pelicans take flight off of the Mississippi River. Greenery and a forest cliff shown in the background.

1st Place: White Pelican Migration by Steve Pearson. Mississippi River at La Crosse

Six avocets walking towards waves on a sandy beach.

2nd Place: Avocets on Migration by Paulette Marzahl. North Beach, Racine

Honorable Mention: James Meyer, Blake Richard, Joseph Eichers, Lorri Howski, Tim Bassing, John Mishefske, Linda Rappel, David Schwauber

2022 Eligible Photo Submissions

Each category is a separate PDF file and each page corresponds to one submission.

Thank you to everyone who shared their photography talent with us this year.

2022 Writing Project Submissions

This year, we received 24 lovely poems, short stories and creative writings from Wisconsin authors. Their work appears in our 2022-2023 Wisconsin's Great Waters Calendar.

Thank you, writers, for sharing your talent with us.