Summer 2025 is inching toward history, but the Summer Photo Contest winners have made their mark on MAFB! Every summer, the Northern Sentry asks people all over base to submit photos of camping, fishing, swimming, boating, or even just sitting in the backyard. We love seeing how everyone makes the most of this beautiful time of year, and this year was better than ever!
With almost 100 submissions, we saw so many North Dakota moments and were overwhelmed by the number of amazing State Fair photographs! Each year, one winner is randomly selected from all submissions for our Grand Prize. This year’s winner is the Marynowitz family! Brian, Zoryana, Alisa (7 years old), and Brian Marynowitz III (baby) were thrilled to find out they had won. They even sent a video of the kids dancing around the living room in celebration! This year’s Grand Prize was $100 cash, because who couldn’t use some extra spending money?
Besides the randomly selected winner, the Northern Sentry team also picked a few favorites. It was tough this year, and narrowing down our top five was a real challenge. But after some back-and-forth, we decided to award Pandy Watrous the title of “Staff Favorite” for her photo of two kids striking poses with a picturesque North Dakota lake in the backdrop. The staff loved the joy, silliness, and scenery in the shot.
Although not usually announced this far in advance, we also chose a front cover for the 2026 Summer Guide from this very contest! Photographer Rebecca Wang submitted several entries, but ultimately, it was her photo of kids on bikes with a massive North Dakota sky filled with kites that won us all over. We can’t wait to see it on the cover next year!
Both Rebecca and Pandy were awarded a canvas print of their winning photos as a prize.
We hate to see summer- and all the fun activities and daylight – go, but we’re ready for fall weather, sweaters, and cozy times too. We’re also gearing up for our Winter Guide, which will highlight last year’s Winter Photo Contest winner on the cover!
Don’t worry, more contests are on the way! Our ever-popular Halloween Costume Contest and the Winter Photo Contest kick off in December. Be sure to keep an eye out and enter your photos, because you could be the next winner!
Thanks for being a loyal Northern Sentry reader. We’re here to share this unique Minot AFB adventure with you!
