
You did it. Many thanks to everyone who entered the 2021 Whalebone Photo Contest and supported No Kid Hungry and Protect Our Winters. We didn’t mess up the first Whalebone Photo Contest, so for the second year in a row, we are celebrating and honoring the amazing humans who point and shoot all sorts of cameras, capturing nature, action, emotion and each other.

GRAND PRIZE:
Hide ‘n’ Suck | Michael Francis Connelly

FINALIST:
Curves | Ben Thouard

FINALIST:
Water for life | Sharwar Apo

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Ben Thouard
Kristy Taylor
Emily Baily
Rafael Moura
Phoebe Fitz
Ryan Borne
Samuel Resendiz
Manish Mamtani
Arvind Jayashankar
Trevor Hawkins
Caleb Kenna

GRAND PRIZE:
Mulcoy’s World | Mark McInnis

FINALIST:
Cliche in the Rain | Tanner Bowden

FINALIST:
Rodeo Days | Gabriel L’Heureux

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Joey Maclennan
Natalie Obradovich
Dylan Decker
Seeking Venture Photo
Phoebe Fitz
Alexander Ratzing
Mitch Warnick
Jaime Contreras
Arvind Jayashankar
Colby Blount

GRAND PRIZE:
Harmony House Hugs | Tyler Schank

FINALIST:
Connected Ceremony | Donell Gumiran

FINALIST:
Coexistence | Ryan Borne

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
David Moreno
Stacy Salvatori
Noah Bility
Sujan Sarkar
Azim Khan Ronnie
Joshua Lambus
Taz Essa
Cole Magrath
Dave Reddick
Connor Trimble

GRAND PRIZE:
Wall of Death | Siddharth Kaneria

FINALIST:
Kicking it back… | Subhashis Halder

FINALIST:
Life in Color | Zay Yar Lin

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Andrew Soria
Tal Roberts
Alain Schroeder
Alex Cao
Chin Leong Teo
Scotty Sinton
Gabriel L’Heureux
Mackenzie Hennessey
Karim Iliya

GRAND PRIZE:
Enjoying the biggest festival Durga Puja | Sultan Ahmed Niloy

FINALIST:
Our Playground | Hardibudi

FINALIST:
Laundry | Kristen Emack

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
John McKean
Elisabeth Grindmayer
Muhammad Amdad Hossain
Kenley England
Rafael Moura
Callum Morse
Shibasish Saha
Celia Kujala
Natalie Obradovich
John Barton

GRAND PRIZE:
Tidal Pool | Daniel Pullen

FINALIST:
Car Wash | Bo Bridges

FINALIST:
RUN | Ben Thouard

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Jerad Armijo
Kyle Russell Allen Graves
Max Depatie
Laura Sills
Brian Clopp
Ronda Churchill
Tanner Charles Schaaf
Donell Gumiran
Ryan Mack

Man, are we lucky. Some incredibly talented folks think enough of what we are doing with this photo contest and what you do to lend their eyes to help us select the winning photos. Last year Danny Clinch, Walter Iooss and Morgan Maassen set the bar really high for Whalebone Photo Contest judges. This year Mel D. Cole, Krystle Wright and Mike Coots bring a whole new set of perspectives to the judging panel. The judges select the winners so we aren’t saying you probably want to start following them on Instagram to see what they like, but we are saying you probably want to start following them on Instagram because it will bring joy and magic to your phone screen.

MEL D. COLE
One of the world’s top concert, music, sports, lifestyle and event photographers.
@meldcole

KRYSTLE WRIGHT
A pioneering director & photographer who brings attention to the demanding adventures and landscapes that the public is rarely fortunate to see.
@krystlejwright

MIKE COOTS
Shark attack survivor known for his underwater photography, ocean advocacy and mission to help fellow amputees.
@mikecoots