Teledyne Marine has just wrapped up its 2025 Photo & Data Contest, and the winners are in—each one a testament to the grit, creativity, and technical prowess of the marine science community. This year’s entries didn’t just showcase stunning visuals; they told stories of resilience, discovery, and the relentless pursuit of data in some of the planet’s toughest environments.
From the Amazon’s storm-lashed rivers to the icy grip of winter ports, these images and datasets underscore how Teledyne’s tools are becoming indispensable in the field. Let’s dive into the winners and what their work reveals about the future of marine research and technology.
The Voter’s Choice Award went to Jonathan Valenzuela, whose image of fieldwork on the Ucayali River in the Peruvian Amazon captured the raw power of riverine environments. Valenzuela is using a RiverPro 600 kHz ADCP to study how climate change is reshaping sediment flow, floodplain agriculture, and fisheries—a critical mission in a region where rivers are the lifeblood of ecosystems and communities. The photo, shot as a storm rolled in, is a stark reminder that in the field, data collection often means working against the clock.
Gabriel Walton of Ultrabeam Hydrographic took home the Best Data Award for his ultra-high-resolution dataset of Peterhead Port in Scotland. Using a RESON SeaBat T51-R multibeam echo sounder, Walton’s team is monitoring the port’s breakwater structure, a task that’s as much about safeguarding infrastructure as it is about understanding coastal dynamics. This kind of precision is becoming the gold standard in port management, where even the smallest shifts can have massive operational and economic ripple effects.
The Aversity Award, which honors work conducted in extreme conditions, went to Liga Cerusa of LVR Flote. Cerusa’s team braved freezing temperatures and rough seas to conduct a multibeam survey at the Roja port entry using a RESON SeaBat T20-ASV. Their work supports dredging operations, proving that even in the harshest winter conditions, critical maritime activities can’t pause—nor should the data collection that ensures their safety and efficiency.
For a moment of calm amidst the chaos, Jessica Leonard of Rutgers University won the Moment of Zen Award. Her photograph of a G3s Slocum Glider being deployed to survey The Climate Foundation’s seaweed farm off Compostela, Cebu, Philippines, is a serene snapshot of cutting-edge marine permaculture research. The glider’s mission is to monitor ecosystem health, a growing priority as the world turns to sustainable aquaculture to combat climate change and food insecurity.
Jakub Tkaczyk of Enamor Ltd earned the Underwater Award for his image of a Gavia AUV just below the surface, moments before deployment. Tkaczyk’s work highlights the quiet revolution in seafloor mapping, where autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are uncovering secrets of the deep that were once out of reach. From scientific discovery to defense operations, AUVs are becoming the eyes and ears of the ocean.
And finally, an Honourable Mention went to Hayes Ballantyne of Discovery Marine Ltd for his submission, “You can’t park there.” The image, captured during a routine charting survey using a RESON SeaBat T50-R, revealed an unexpected discovery: an excavator resting on the seabed off the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand. The machine, believed to have fallen from a barge a decade earlier, is a quirky reminder that the ocean still has surprises in store—even in an age of advanced underwater mapping.
William Egan, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Teledyne Marine, summed it up best: “Every year we think the bar can’t be raised any higher, and every year our users prove us wrong. The diversity, technical quality, and storytelling behind this year’s submissions were outstanding. It’s inspiring to see how Teledyne instruments are supporting such a wide range of impactful projects and the people behind them.”
This year’s contest winners are more than just a showcase of technical excellence—they’re a glimpse into the future of marine science. As climate change, coastal development, and ocean exploration push the boundaries of what’s possible, tools like Teledyne’s are enabling researchers, engineers, and explorers to go further, work smarter, and uncover the mysteries of the deep. And as the entries prove, the best stories often come from those who dare to venture into the most challenging environments—equipped with the right tools and an unyielding curiosity.