A Whale of a Win!

By Katie McFadden

And we have our winner! Congratulations to Chris St Lawrence on winning the grand prize for the 2025 Rockaway Times Photo Contest! St Lawrence’s spectacular breaching whale shot in front of Rockaway earned him first place out of hundreds of submissions.

On Thursday, August 28, at a reception at The Rockaway Times office, the winners were announced. St Lawrence’s whale shot not only earned him a $500 grand prize, made possible by NYC Ferry, but this week’s cover and longtime bragging rights.

In a first, there was a tie for second place as Don Riepe’s scene of a paddleboarder with a dog, in front of a backdrop featuring an osprey nest and the Marine Parkway Bridge, and Tom Farley’s sunset framed by seagulls, were too good to choose between. And rounding out the top, in third was Dan Mundy Jr.’s adorable seal photo.

The Top 30, Top 10 and ultimately the Top 3 and winner were selected by a panel of about 12 judges from The Rockaway Times, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, NYC Ferry and NYC Parks. When we had our Top 30 and five honorable mentions, JBRPC generously made the photos into large posters that were then put on display by NYC Parks on the boardwalk and at the ferry landing all summer. All photographers in the Top 30 and honorable mentions were invited to pick up their posters on Thursday. Those who didn’t get the chance can contact the office at 718-634-3030 or editor@rockawaytimes.com to arrange pickup.

Winner, Chris St Lawrence, entered our contest for the first time this year, with his fabulous whale photo taken on one of his many whale watching trips on American Princess Cruises. St Lawrence sometimes serves as the naturalist on board, and always has his camera, a Sony A75R, on hand, to catch some lucky shots. This particular photo was taken on a trip last July.

“That was taken in the Ambrose Channel, just south of Rockaway. We had a whale that was just putting on a show for us and I got really lucky with it doing a few breaches in a row and I lined it up and got that shot,” St Lawrence said. Even more meaningful than the win was the exposure and opportunity St Lawrence had to show Rockaway what can be seen in our waters.

“It’s super awesome. More special to me is to have that photo on the boardwalk and have people see that and be aware that that’s something you can see here. I think that’s the special part of being able to take pictures like that,” he said.

On his second-place win, Riepe, a contest regular and a past grand prize winner, said, “That’s my fourth second place. The competition got better! I always hope to make the Top 30 so I can get a nice print” He explained that his photo was taken right off of his deck in Broad Channel. “I was looking at one of the marshes, Ruler’s Bar, and saw the young girl on the board with the dog, then I have a pair of ospreys in the back and behind that I see the bridge, I thought, woah, I got all of the elements!” Riepe said, adding that he took the picture on his phone.

Farley explained that he was walking near Riis Park/ Breezy Point when he caught the sunset, that was impeccably timed as soaring seagulls framed it perfectly, but he wasn’t expecting it to earn second. “It was a typical sunset. I had only sent in one photo and a neighbor told me to send in three, so I sent two more and this was one of those. I wouldn’t have won unless my neighbor encouraged me. It was a surprise,” Farley said.

Mundy’s third place win was also unexpected, as his daughter, Jennifer, sent it in behind his back.  Taken from his skiff on a winter day on the water, Mundy said he saw the resident seal, affectionally called Ruffles, named after Ruffle Bar, where it regularly hangs out, and he broke out his Nikon camera to catch Ruffles before he went back under the surface. “He popped up and I knew it was gonna be a great shot. He’s a regular here now. It’s a good sign of the water quality in Jamaica Bay,” Mundy said. Overall, Mundy was happy to be a part of the event. “I love seeing the displays on the boardwalk and by the ferry. You guys do a great job,” Mundy said.

Thank you to our partners at NYC Ferry, JBRPC and NYC Parks for making it happen, and to all of those who participated! Let this be a reminder to start snapping away! We announce our contest sometime in February and accept submissions through mid-April.