“Five Great Lakes, Many Points of View” Photo Showcase

The International Joint Commission works to engage and educate a variety of audiences on issues impacting Great Lakes water quality. To support this work, the IJC is seeking photos from around the Great Lakes showing the countless ways that people interact with the Great Lakes. 

Winning photos will be featured in a post card series, on the IJC’s homepage and on our social media platforms. Photos will also be incorporated into the IJC’s upcoming assessment report on Great Lakes water quality. 

Users can submit a maximum of six (6) photos. Photo contest entries will be accepted on an ongoing basis. Public voting on photos will begin in early 2026. Winners will be contacted via email.

Contest Details

Content Guidelines
  • Photos must be original photos taken by the user
  • Photos must be taken in the North American Great Lakes basin
  • Photos featuring identifiable people must have been received consent for submission
  • Inappropriate, offensive, or copyrighted content will not be accepted 
Submission Guidelines
  • Photos may be submitted to any of 3 categories:
    1. Recreation
    2. Research, Education & Science, or
    3. Great Lakes Water in Action
  • Users may submit a maximum of 6 photos total (total across all categories; for instance, you may submit 2 photos to each category, 5 to one category and 1 to another, etc.)
  • Acceptable submission format types include: .jpeg, .jpg, or .png file
  • Must be 18 to enter contest unless given consent from a legal parent or guardian
Winners & Evaluation Criteria
  • 10 winners will be selected. The top 3 photos from each category with the most votes during the public voting period selected as winners and 1 winner selected by vote from IJC staff
  • Winners will be notified via the email address provided at the time of submission
  • Prizes for winners include:
    1. a series of post cards featuring the winning photos,
    2. feature on the IJC homepage,
    3. social media spotlight, and
    4. incorporation into the International Joint Commission's upcoming assessment report. 
Permissions/rights
  • Participants must own rights to the content that they submit (i.e., any copyrighted content will be removed)
  • Your name and email required in the submission form will be used to contact winners and provide credit to winning photos. The IJC will not share this information for any additional purposes
  • Participants acknowledge that by submitting photos to the IJC via this photo contest, the IJC will retain the right to reuse the photo in any future feature or product. The IJC will continue to credit the participant as the photographer and the location the photo was taken, but participants will not be consulted on how or when the photo is used after submission.  
  • IJC reserves the right to remove any content that is deemed inappropriate or offensive.

Categories

boats in harbour with cyclists passing

Recreation

Photos that show the recreational use and enjoyment of the Great Lakes, such as boating, fishing, swimming, birding, camping, hiking, sailing or other reactional activities. 

Back of ship on water

Research, Education and Science

Photos that show Great Lakes research, education or science activities in progress. This includes both field-based photos and photos related to Great Lakes research, science or education that are not on the Great Lakes (i.e., photographs from a lab setting). 

ship sailing in front of city skyline

Great Lakes Water in Action

Photos that show the many forms, conditions and uses of the waters of the Great Lakes, including but not limited to drinking water, pollution, rain/weather, human/economic uses, landscapes, groundwater, and life in aquatic habitats. 

Submit a Photo

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Photographer Details

Participants must own rights to the content that they submit (i.e., any copyrighted content will be removed). Participants acknowledge that by submitting photos to the IJC via this photo contest, the IJC will retain the right to reuse the photo in any future feature or product. The IJC will continue to credit the participant as the photographer and the location the photo was taken, but participants will not be consulted on how or when the photo is used after submission.