Great Lakes Photo Showcase 

The International Joint Commission (IJC) works to engage and educate people on the issues that shape 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.

Submitting photos: Entries are accepted on an ongoing basis (up to six (6) photos per person). Public voting begins in early 2026. Winners will be contacted via email.

Cast Your Vote: Recreation

How voting works: Browse the gallery and tap the Like button to cast your vote. You may vote for as many photos as you wish, but only once per photo.

View the galleries for the other categories:

What’s next: 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.

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Oswego Harbor and Wrights Landing Marina is a boaters paradise, with access to breathtaking shoreline views, world class fishing, and recently revitalized boat slips.</br>Oswego, New York</br>Recreation. Emily Fell.
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Blustery May day walking beach and looking out over Lake Superior paying homage to crew of the Edmond Fitzgerlad. </br>Whitefish Point, Michigan </br>Recreation. Jack T Norris.
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Kayakers AND a recreational boater (to right) in Lake Ontario along Rotary Beach in Wellington, Ontario </br>Wellington, Ontario </br>Recreation. Dawn Schilling.
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The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Light Show on Lake Ontario is complemented by a sunset in Orleans County, NY</br>Point Breeze, New York </br> Recreation. Lynne Menz.
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Watching the sun set on a calm evening from a kayak in Lake Ontario. </br>Lyndonville, New York </br>Recreation. Joe Pow.
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A group of kayakers tours the cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore against a striking landscape. Pictured Rocks, Michigan. Recreation. Chris Ingham.
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A hiker relaxes on the cliffs overlooking Lake Superior on Presque Isle. Marquette, Michigan. Recreation. Chris Ingham.
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A group a kayakers touring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Pictured Rocks, Michigan. Recreation. Chris Ingham.
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With miles of shoreline on Lake Ontario northwest of Rochester, we often walk this littoral zone enjoying the bluest of the Great Lakes. Hamlin Beach State Park -Hamlin NY -Lake Ontario, New York. Recreation. Barbara Carder.
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Sunset whilst rock hounding at the Torch Bay Nature Reserve. July 2025. Torch Lake, Michigan. Recreation. Joe Smith.
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The sunrise on July 11, 2025. Harsens Island, Michigan. Recreation. Gus Calandrino.
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I took this photo as we were sailing towards Swift Current after a week long adventure in the North Channel. Georgian Bay, near Little Current, Ontario. Recreation. Patrick D Gillies.