The writing contest for Nautical Northwest magazine
Nautical Northwest magazine is proud to launch the inaugural Best of the Northwest writing and photography contest.
How it Works
The Best of the Northwest writing and photography contest seeks to elevate and reward fantastic written and visual storytelling about our amazing greater Pacific Northwest life aquatic with an emphasis on work and play on our waterways.
For our inaugural contest, we are keeping things simple with three categories: People, Boats, and Place. Each of these categories is open to written submissions and photography entries that will be judged with other works of their respective mediums.
Every submitted entry will be blind judged by three selected volunteer judges. The deadline for all submissions is November 6, 2026. First place winners across the categories and mediums (writing and photography) will be awarded $500 and be published within Nautical Northwest magazine. Submissions that win second, third, and honorable mention places will be proudly listed within the same issue of the magazine. Other prizes may possibly be added.
We are also hoping to host an award ceremony in Seattle around the time of the Seattle Boat Show. Details are developing so stay tuned. We may publish some or all of our judging criteria as we iron out those details behind the scenes in the weeks/months ahead. Thank you for bearing with us as we build this thing from the ground up this year.
“The Nitty Gritty” – Category Details
We do not have many rules, but the rules we do have are important:
For Writers: Keep the entries to 2,000 to 3,000 words long (magazine feature length). Also keep in mind that winners will align with the ethos of Nautical Northwest magazine and be appropriate for publication. Each contestant will be limited to two submissions per category. Each entry will be $10.
For Photographers: Photo submissions must be at least 300 DPI resolution, which is print publication quality. Winners will align with the mission of Nautical Northwest magazine to be a premier connection to life on the water. Photographers must also submit a descriptive caption of the subject at-hand between 250 to 500 words. Each contestant will be limited to two submissions per category. Each entry will be $10.
All subjects and story topics must have a strong and central tie to the greater Pacific Northwest and its waters. We are defining “greater Pacific Northwest” as Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, and SE/Southcentral Alaska. This does not mean that other regions or locations cannot be a part of the submitted storytelling, but we are seeking to elevate Cascadian culture.
With regards to the categories, keep the following in mind:
- People: We’re blessed with incredible and inspiring seagoers, intrepid entrepreneurs, brilliant builders, marine oriented artists, passionate scientists, sailors with dreams, and more. Competitive entries to the People category will seek to tell the story of an individual or group of people who exemplify aspects of the Pacific Northwest life aquatic. Competitive entries will bring the subject to life and make obvious the importance, value, and/or entertainment of the topic.
- Boats: The boats of the Pacific Northwest are often just as compelling, or even more so, as the humans who build and sail upon them. Submissions to this category will focus on boats of the Pacific Northwest, from the refit of a historic vessel to an exciting cutting edge new build from a local yard. All sectors welcome, although keep in mind that the recreational sector is the bread and butter of Nautical Northwest magazine. This is also the home of stories about issues facing boating in general, broader topics on the maritime industry, technology, and such.
- Place: From the waterfronts of small coastal towns to cities with harbor cranes and remote glacier studded cruising grounds where Sasquatch roam, the watery places of the greater Pacific Northwest are in many ways the main character of all our stories. The Place category is the home of cruising stories and aquatic adventures that center the location itself. This category is also good for more nature or culturally based submissions.
Historical subjects are welcome across all categories, but they will be competitive if they can tie the past to the present—and possibly even the future. We love history but are not an ideal reservoir for hard historical research.
All submitted works must be unpublished at the time of submission and we must retain right of first refusal for publication. Additionally, it should go without saying that all submitted works must be original from the submitted human—not produced by artificial intelligence.
The entry form is found here – https://www.nauticalnw.com/best-in-the-northwest-contest-2026/
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