Millions of residents and visitors live, work and play in the Great Lakes region all year round. And nearly 100 photographers answered the International Joint Commission’s call to submit photographs to our Great Lakes Photo Showcase. From November 2025 through the end of May, almost 14,000 votes were cast, and the tally is now official: of the 200 photos received, these are the top photos.
The IJC Great Lakes Photo Showcase was part of our recent public engagements on Great Lakes water quality. Thank you to everyone who submitted their snapshot of how they interact with the lakes, and to those who voted on your favorites.
The IJC’s showcase featured photographs depicting three thematic categories:
- Recreation: photos featured recreational enjoyment of the lakes for typical activities like swimming and fishing, and atypical fun, like winter cold plunges.
- Research, Education and Science: submissions from students, professionals, and community scientists alike shared ‘behind-the-lab-bench’ shots of research, education or science activities in progress.
- Great Lakes Water in Action: a collage demonstrating the diversity of forms, conditions and uses of the waters of the Great Lakes, from crashing waves to frozen ice and beyond.
Great Lakes Photo Showcase Top Ten
The public voted for their favorite photos and the top three photos in each category are the winning photos, highlighted below. The tenth winner was selected as the IJC’s “staff choice.” These top photos will be featured in a forthcoming postcard set!
Recreation
First place (552 votes): A hiker relaxes on the cliffs overlooking Lake Superior on Presque Isle. Marquette, Michigan. Submitted by Chris Ingham.
Second place (502 votes): Watching the sun set on a calm evening from a kayak in Lake Ontario. Lyndonville, New York. Submitted by Joe Pow.
Third place (479 votes): A group of kayakers touring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Submitted by Chris Ingham.
Research, Education and Science
First place (460 votes): A Burbot (Lota lota) hangs out in low-oxygen groundwater in the Middle Island Sinkhole, Lake Huron. Alpena, Michigan. Submitted by Jon Slayer.
Second place (452 votes): Scientists perform depth of refusal measurements for the removal of Brown Bridge Dam. Traverse City, Michigan. Submitted by Frank Dituri.
Third place (447 votes): Mapping a longitudinal profile of the Boardman Ottaway River for project monitoring requirements post Brown Bridge Dam removal. Traverse City, Michigan. Submitted by Frank Dituri.
Great Lakes Water in Action
First place (306 votes): Water ripples over the colorful rock lakebed at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Submitted by Chris Ingham.
Second place (249 votes): Lake Superior displays its vibrant colors below a sweeping cliffside formed by millennia of erosion. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Submitted by Chris Ingham.
Third place (233 votes): Bradstreet Landing in Lake Erie looking west, January 2024. Rocky River, Ohio. Submitted by Nicholas Barille.
Staff Selection
IJC staff selection: Predawn in early 2026, Rondeau Provincial Park, Morpeth, Ontario. Submitted by Ken Bell.
Reporting on Great Lakes Water Quality Progress
The Great Lakes Photo Showcase was a part of the IJC’s public engagements on Great Lakes water quality earlier this year. Canada and the United States work together through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to keep the Great Lakes clean and healthy. Every three years, the IJC assesses progress towards the Agreement’s goals for drinkable, fishable, swimmable Great Lakes.
Thank you to everyone who shared their perspectives on governments’ progress to restore, protect and enhance Great Lakes water quality. Your input is helping to inform the IJC’s independent advice to both governments. Updates about the forthcoming assessment report will be shared on the IJC’s website and in future issues of Shared Waters.
Rachel Wyatt is the communications officer at the IJC’s Great Lakes Regional Office.
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