New Jersey boasts some of the most picturesque beaches along the East Coast.  If you have a great shot that celebrates and embraces the natural elements of the Garden State’s beautiful coastline, submit the image to NJSGC’s revamped “Favorite Beaches of the Jersey Shore” photo contest! Ultimately, the top twelve photos will be used to create New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s annual desktop calendar for 2022.

About the Contest:

New Jersey Sea Grant’s graphic design team will select 24 photos from all entries received up until Wednesday, June 8th (5 pm EST).  Those finalists will then be posted on the NJSGC website where visitors can vote for their favorite throughout the month leading up to the July Fourth holiday.

New Jersey’s “Favorite Beaches” Photo Contest Submission Guidelines:

(If your submission does not meet the following guidelines, it will not be considered)

• Only one (1) photo submission per person.
• Entries should be submitted as an attachment via email to PhotoContest@NJSeaGrant.org.
• The email entry should include: name, email, photo location, and image title.
• Stick to the contest theme: Natural Elements of New Jersey Beaches. We welcome both traditional and innovative approaches to this subject, but please no family portraits.
• Photo files must be .JPG or .PNG format and a minimum of 300 DPI saved at a quality setting of “10” or higher and 8 ½” for the longest side.
• Images should be horizontal (landscape).
• Entries will be accepted until 5 pm (EST) on June 8th, 2022 on World Ocean Day.
• Submit only your own original work.
• Photos should be appropriate for a general audience. Explicit content is expressly prohibited.
• Post-processing and digital manipulation is not allowed, but minor adjustments to contrast, filtration, subtle burning, and dodging are acceptable.
• All entries become the property of NJSGC and may be used by the organization for other educational or marketing materials (the twelve finalists will receive an additional waiver for signature prior to publication of the calendar).
• Do not include any logos or text on the photo.
• By submitting your photo to this contest, you grant NJSGC permission to publicly display, reproduce, and use the photographs in all manner and media for any and all purposes, including related promotional purposes, in perpetuity. You also warrant that the photo is your original work and does not violate the copyright or any other personal or property right of any third party, and that you may be required to and can obtain any and all releases and permissions necessary for its use in the production of our calendar, including releases for any recognizable faces, unless they are incidental to a larger scene (e.g., a group of sunbathers on the beach).

Winners will be announced prior to the July Fourth holiday. These images will be used to create the 2023 NJSGC downloadable desktop calendar (https://njseagrant.org/desktop-calendars/), which will also feature useful coastal facts and information to help locals and visitors learn more about and appreciate the Jersey Shore.

To view last year’s winners, please click here.