2019 Photo Contest Winners

This November, we invited you to send in your favorite water images for the 2019 Photo Contest, based on the theme “WONDER.” We’ve chosen three winners, and two runners up, from nearly 100 entries.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry for this year’s contest!
Your passion for Wisconsin’s waters is very clear and your photo/s may still be featured in the coming year.

“Thankful” | Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
This is a photo of me taken by Linda Tomsevics in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. Linda and I are both volunteers with Team River Runner. During our September 2019 kayak trip for disabled military veterans, Linda noticed the late afternoon sun lighting up the spot along the cliff where I was sitting in my kayak. I extended my arms, thankful for the amazing experiences everyone had on this unforgettable five-day trip.
– Photo: Linda “LT” Tomsevics, submitted by Ken Braband, Green Bay

“Early Morning Mist” | Wisconsin River
I took this photo in August during a four-day solo kayak trip on the lower Wisconsin River. I started just below the Prairie Du Sac hydro dam and ended on the Mississippi River a few miles down river from the confluence. I’ve done lots of trips on the Wisconsin River over the coarse of my life. It always amazes me how beautiful early mornings on the Wisconsin River are, particularly after an overnight drop in water levels like you see in this picture. I would have preferred to do the trip over five days, but the weather got pretty bad so I opted to do the final 30 miles in one day. 
– Peter Spence, Oconomowoc

“My Boys” | Eau Claire River
My boys enjoying the sounds of the Eau Claire River.

Runners Up

“River Sunset” | Wisconsin River

I took this photo in late October. I was driving through Wisconsin Dells and noticed how breathtaking the sunset was. I decided to make an abrupt detour to take it in and stopped at a community park near the lower Wisconsin River. I hiked to an outcrop located just outside the park and was in absolute awe. The combination of the fall foliage, hues of the sun speckling the clouds, and their combined effort to reflect on the glassy still surface of the river made for a moment that cannot be duplicated.

“His Own Sense of Wonder” | Lake Superior
We love Wisconsin waters—swimming and splashing in the summer, frozen solid in the winters, and everything in between. The big waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior call to our family often, and we make the trip to our favorite spots around the state. This photo captures everything we try to offer our children—freedom to explore, get wet and dirty, and follow where their feet take them. We truly believe in David Sobel’s words, “Give children a chance to love the earth before we ask them to save it”; the relationship with Wisconsin’s waters and beauty is clearly developing well here.