Celebrating creativity and technical excellence 

Teledyne Marine is delighted to announce the winners of its 2025 Photo & Data Contest, celebrating the creativity and technical excellence of customers using Teledyne instruments. Storms, gliders, lost excavators, and even a seaweed farm at sunrise - the winning entries showcase striking marine projects from around the world, highlighting the diverse environments and applications where Teledyne technology is at work capturing the data that shapes rivers, ports, coastlines, and offshore science.

After reviewing all qualifying entries, Teledyne Marine is pleased to reveal the winners across five categories, along with an honourable mention. The winning entries reflect both the operational reality of marine field work and scientific innovation.

This year’s Voter’s Choice winner captures fieldwork on the Ucayali River in the Peruvian Amazon, where research company Jonathan Valenzuela is using a Teledyne RiverPro 600 kHz ADCP to collect hydrological data. Their work helps advance understanding of climate-driven changes in river discharge and their influence on sediment dynamics, fisheries, and floodplain agriculture. The approaching storm in the background underscores the unpredictability of scientific operations in fast-changing riverine environments.

The Best Data Award was captured by Gabriel Walton from Ultrabeam Hydrographic. This winning dataset shows Peterhead Port, an important maritime structured in Scotland, UK, and showcases the power of ultra-high-resolution asset survey data. 

Using a Teledyne RESON SeaBat T51-R multibeam echo sounder, the team captured high-density hydrographic data to monitor potential movement within the port’s breakwater structure, which is critical insight for long-term infrastructure management and the port’s operations. This year’s Aversity Award, recognising work undertaken in extreme conditions, goes to Liga Cerusa for her image of a multibeam survey conducted during harsh winter conditions at the Roja port entry.

Relying on a Teledyne RESON SeaBat T20-ASV, the team supported dredging operations despite rough seas and freezing temperatures. The image captures the resilience and precision required for winter hydrographic survey work.

The Moment of Zen Award goes to Jessica Leonard from Rutgers University, for a serene photograph that features a Teledyne G3s Slocum Glider being carried to sea for its first deployment surveying The Climate Foundation’s seaweed farm off Compostela, Cebu, Philippines. Captured at low tide in the soft morning light, the image highlights a moment of calm during a mission supporting pioneering research in sustainable marine permaculture and ecosystem health.

The Underwater Award, captured by Jakub Tkaczyk from Enamor Ltd, shows a Teledyne Gavia AUV just below the surface before deployment. Taken during a 2014 mission, the photograph remains a timeless representation of autonomous underwater vehicles and their essential roles in seafloor mapping, defence operations, and scientific discovery.

The Honourable Mention is an extra prize we occasionally award for truly extraordinary entries, celebrating the unique story behind an image.

Titled ‘You can’t park there’, this image shows the unexpected discovery of an excavator resting on the seabed, just off the coast of the Bay of Plenty in New Zealand.

Believed to have fallen from a barge a decade ago, the machine was uncovered during a routine charting survey using a Teledyne RESON SeaBat T50-R.

The image underscores the surprising - and sometimes dramatic - insights revealed through modern underwater mapping technologies. 

“Every year we think the bar can’t be raised any higher, and every year our users prove us wrong,” said William Egan, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Teledyne Marine. “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.”

Teledyne Marine congratulates all winners and extends sincere thanks to every participant. This year’s submissions highlight not only the versatility of Teledyne’s technologies, but also the ingenuity and dedication of the global marine community.

All contest entries can be viewed here.