The 2026 Rockaway Times Photo Contest Is Now Open

The Eleventh Annual Rockaway Times Photo Contest is now officially open! As you know, there’s no doubt, Rockaway’s got talent and we like to put the spotlight on peninsula shutterbugs.

As we’ve done in years past, the Top 30 photos selected are made poster-size and put on display on the boardwalk. And some honorable mentions get placed at the ferry dock. The three categories this year will be “Ferry Photos,” “Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Parks,” and the final broader category will be “Rockaway Life” — that means any­thing and everything that has to do with this great peninsula (or Broad Channel). All great photos will be considered. The winning photographer wins a $500 Grand Prize and ever-lasting bragging rights. You don’t have to be a professional, you just have to take a great photo!

Ok, now the IMPORTANT STUFF: The deadline this year will be at NOON on Monday, April 20. Other than our two formal categories, you can submit whatever photos you’d like. We would love to see a photo of your adorable pet, but remember, it will be competing against sunsets, parades, wildlife, surfers, you name it. Judges will only consider pictures that convey a local theme. You are allowed to submit up to FOUR (4) photos. They must be high resolution (some of those phone photos just don’t cut it; resist sending fuzzy out-of-focus pictures) and the photos must be of Rockaway, Breezy Point, Broad Channel, Jamaica Bay, Rockaway Parks or on the ferry/from the ferry. This is The Rockaway Times Photo Contest and we’re sure your vacation photos are great but we’re sticking to a local theme. You must submit your name (or the name of the photographer) and, please know that The Rockaway Times may use any of the photos as we see fit (in the paper, Summer Guide, Facebook, Instagram, etc.). We will give photo credit, but we will have full rights to the photo. And please, only send photos you have taken or have rights to or permission to use. Please make sure the photos are your own. We’ve had instances in the past where people shared great photos from professional photographers and even from Rockaway Times staff members into the contest. It must be original work, or it will be automatically disqualified.

Even more IMPORTANT STUFF: Send to the CORRECT email address. Submit your top photos for the Photo Contest to Contest@Rockawaytimes.com. We will still print our Local Color feature each week but that’s a separate email and contest photos sent there cannot be considered.

Contest tip: We know we’ll get lots and lots of beautiful sunsets and sunrises but that means it’ll be tough for your photo to really stand out. Maybe your picture of kids on the beach or a great boardwalk scene or something that screams “That’s Rockaway!” will be the one that captures the judges’ eyes. And remember, send only your top 4 (the judges will not consider any more than 4 from a photographer!).

Last year, Chris St Lawrence won the judges over with his awesome photo of a breaching whale in Ambrose Channel just off of Rockaway.

We’re thrilled to have our co-sponsors back for this year’s contest. The Jamaica Bay–Rockaway Parks Conservancy (JBRPC) who will be sponsoring the, well, Jamacia Bay and Rockaway Parks category, NYC Ferry who will be sponsoring the Ferry Photos category, and NYC Parks! Thank you for helping to make this one of the summer’s great events.

So, the 2026 Photo Contest is officially open! Happy snappin’, Rockaway!