Wisconsin's Great Waters 2023 Photo Contest and Writing Project
Winners and Submissions
The Office of Great Waters is pleased to present our 15th annual calendar, along with the winners and submissions from the 2023 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 2023 photographers and authors for sharing your talent with us!
2023-2024 Calendar
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 2023 photo contest, creative writings submitted by Wisconsin authors and descriptions of stewardship projects. It’s typically distributed at DNR events and state parks, visitor centers and DNR regional offices throughout the state.
2023 Winning Photographs
The Office of Great Waters received more than 600 beautiful photos of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the Mississippi River for the 2023 contest. Top photographs are featured in the 2023-2024 Wisconsin's Great Waters Calendar.
People Enjoying our Great Waters
1st Place: “Endless Summer” by Michael Knapstein. (Cave Point, Door County)
2nd Place: “Kids Watch a Beautiful Sunset” by Arun Christopher Manoharan. (Wyalusing State Park)
Honorable Mention: Jane Blomberg, Julie DeLisle, Sheri Erickson, Michael Henderson, Michael Knapstein, Debra Ortolan, Chris Schultz, Titus Seilheimer
Cultural and Historical Features
1st Place: “Winter Wave” by Michael Henderson. (Two Rivers Pierhead Light)
2nd Place: “Milwaukee Pierhead Sunrise” by Mark Zawlocki. (Milwaukee)
Honorable Mention: Cheryl Barrett, John W. Brannan, Joseph Eichers, Michael Henderson, Jennifer Kelly, Arun Christopher Manoharan, Andrew Reinders, Ben Young
Natural Features
1st Place: “Jaws of Ice” by Steve Bensing. (Bayfield)
2nd Place: “Summer Storm Passing” by Ben Young. (Washington Island)
Honorable Mention: Nick Bahr, Cheryl Barrett, Julie DeLisle, Michael Henderson, Michael Knapstein, Arun Christopher Manoharan, Andrew Reinders, Mark Zawlocki
Wildlife
1st Place: “Green Heron Taking Flight” by Scott Knight. (Bay City Campground along the Mississippi River)
2nd Place: “Flock of Golden Eyes Flying Over” by Jeannine Warnke. (Green Bay)
Honorable Mention: Joseph Eichers, Karen Gersonde, Scott Knight, Linda Rappel, Michael Thimmesch, Jeannine Warnke, Katherine Westover, Ben Young
2023 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.
2023 Writing Project Submissions
This year, we received over 30 poems, short stories and creative writings that highlighted the many ways people connect with and value Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. Sixteen authors’ writings were featured in the 2023-2024 Wisconsin's Great Waters Calendar. All eligible 2023 writing project submissions are provided below.
Thank you, writers, for sharing your talent with us.
- Anticipation by Michael Gaynor
- Beach Reverie and Morning Glow by Thom Singleton
- Big Muddy and Wisconsin’s Inside Passage by Herb Evert
- Colors of Lake Michigan by Lexi Passante
- Feeling the Wind, Spring, Autumn Lament by Patricia Williams
- Felling the Ash, Galileo’s Kiss, Pinky Swear by Willi Scharrer
- Friends for Life by Nan Bialek
- Gift of Glacial Proportions by Nancy Jorgensen
- Grand Ole Bay by Holly Wolfe
- Horizons at the Shoreline by Francis F. Rosa
- I Have Seen by Karen Gersonde
- Lake Michigan, a Great Lake by Kathy Guzzo
- Lake Superior Moods by Kari Marks
- Mayfly Mayhem by Alan Balliett
- Morning at South Shore by Christine Rundblad
- Pike River by Holly Wolfe
- The Serene by Michael Wessely
- Seven Great Lakes Poems by Marilyn Zelke Windau
- Superior and Swimming with Swans by Katrin Talbot
- Unknown Heroes by Elizabeth Sproehlich
- Upper Mississippi River by Karen Gersonde
- Winter Lakeshore by Christel Maass
- Wisdom of the Great Lakes by Amar Veluri