Dianne Rozak’s photo, “Follow the Leader,” was one of just ten winners in the statewide Life on Lake Erie Photo Contest. (Photo by Dianne Rozak)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

Dianne Rozak holds her winning photo at the Life on Lake Erie Photo Contest awards ceremony in Cleveland on Sept. 23. (Submitted photo)

JOHNSON’S ISLAND – Johnson’s Island resident and Danbury Township Trustee, Dianne Rozak, was one of ten winners in the Life on Lake Erie Photo Contest hosted by the Lake Erie Commission. Her photo, “Follow the Leader,” featuring turtles on a log reflected in the water, was chosen for the contest, which has been recognizing extraordinary photos of life on the lake for over three decades.

Rozak took the photo at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area during the Biggest Week in American Birding.

“I saw these small turtles on a log, and it was a perfect reflection,” she said. “It looked like they were posing.”

Rozak said she has submitted photos to the contest for years, but this was the first time she won. She was sitting on her front porch when she received the email telling her that her photo was chosen by the judges.

“I was basically shocked when I got the news,” she said.

The winners were honored at an awards ceremony in the Carriage House at the Cleveland Foundry and Rowing Club in The Flats in Cleveland on Sept. 23. They were treated to lunch and presented with an award certificate, a proclamation from Governor Mike DeWine, and gifts. Rozak was given a large basket of Ohio-made products.

Larry Fletcher of Shores & Islands Ohio provided the opening remarks.

“The event was very nice. It was right by the river, in a beautiful, old building,” Rozak said.

Next year, the photos will be displayed in venues across Ohio, showcasing the beauty of Lake Erie throughout the state.

“This, to me, was very special,” Rozak said. “To create something that’s going to be promoted statewide is very special.”

Among the other winning entries were photos of a Great Blue Heron taken in Vermilion, of fireworks over Lake Erie, and of two young sisters on Headlands Beach.

Rozak encourages amateur photographers to enter the Life on Lake Erie Photo Contest next year.

“We’re not professional photographers. They want everyday photographers to enter,” Rozak said. “If you photograph anything that represents the beauty of Lake Erie, submit it to the 2027 contest.”

For more information on the contest or to see the 2026 winning entries, visit www.lakeerie.ohio.gov.