Winners Announced for Sonoma’s Coastal Photo Contest

The County of Sonoma is pleased to announce the three winners of the Coastal Close-up photo contest. The winner of the People’s Choice category, was awarded to the person with the most Facebook likes, which totaled 170 votes. This prize went to Steve Pearce and non-professional photographer. The winner of the Professional category is Mark Zukowski, and the winner of the Non-Professional category is Paula Park. A judging panel selected the winners for the latter two categories. This panel included 5^th District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Coastwalk Executive Director Cea Higgins, professional photographer Dennis Kohn, and Sonoma Coast Chapter Surfrider Foundation’s Sarah Heyne. 

“What a delight to see our beautiful coast through so many different camera lenses,” said 5^th District Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, “Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and took the time to vote for your favorites.”

A total of 101 individuals submitted a photo to the contest. Winning photos are posted online at sonomacounty.ca.gov/LCP-Update, and you can view all entries at www.facebook.com/SonomaCountyPRMD. Donations for contest prizes came from Shutterbug Camera, Sonoma County Tourism, and Sonoma County Regional Parks.

This contest coincides with Permit Sonoma’s public engagement process for updating the Draft Local Coastal Plan, which is scheduled to start this summer. This Plan meets the California Coastal Act’s goal to preserve coastal resources, and it is the blueprint for land use along the coast. Contest photos may be selected for inclusion in the Local Coastal Plan and related materials.