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Award Winners

October 29, 2026
Is two years after I won a photo contest too late to announce it? Nah. The notification that one of my photographs won a contest seems to have gotten lost in the digital landscape, but remains too important not to share.
 
The photograph below of an Atlantic Puffin I took in Newfoundland, Canada won 2nd Place in the Sanctuaries Around the World category of the 2024 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest hosted by NOAA's Office of Marine Sanctuaries. 
 
 
 
 
 
Click here for full contest results.
 
 
The story behind this photo -- After hiking out about 100 yards over hilly and rocky terrain--with my biggest lens (1000mm equivalent, 25 pounds of gear)-- I had the pleasure of witnessing hundreds of Atlantic Puffins nearing the end of their nesting cycle and thriving in the rich habitat provided by Newfoundland's North Atlantic waters and stunning coastline. Puffins were flying and diving everywhere on a bright, beautiful, clear Canadian summer day. I had been at the location for about an hour when one Puffin flew and landed within 20 feet of where I was, picked up a wildflower, walked over to me and dropped the flower just in front of my camera. The Puffin was so close I couldn't photograph it because it was too close for my camera lens to find it (subjects have to be minimum of 12 feet away for my lens to focus). Was the flower for me? Is this the most special Puffin in the world? Who knows, but I have my own beliefs about it, and that day, that trip, and that Puffin are forever with me. 
 
Witnessing and photographing these marine birds thriving in the productive Canadian waters of the North Atlantic has been one of the highlights of my photography work. It's a great honor to receive recognition from the judges and NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
Keywords: award winning photography, bird photos that won awards, canada, carolyn, carolyn cooper, carolyn copper, carolyn copper photographer, conservation, copper, copperrange photography, national marine sanctuaries, newfoundland, puffin photography, puffins, washington, wildlife
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