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Aya Okawa

Abstract, aerial and environmental photographer

earth
water
themes
about
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featured
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Smithsonian Editor's Favorite

Aya Okawa June 2, 2016

In publications

← Smithsonian Editor's Favorite SF Photo story featured on Nat Geo China →

Aya Okawa: Publications, features, and list of latest news.

“We need the tonic of wildness.

At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because it is unfathomable.

We can never have enough of nature.”

― Henry David Thoreau

May 2026 1
- May 26, 2026 Exhibited at Florida Museum of Photographic Art, 2nd Place Winner.
November 2025 1
- Nov 14, 2025 Seregno, Italy Exhibition - World Water Day
September 2025 1
- Sep 30, 2025 Featured in Bay Area Photography Open
May 2025 2
- May 21, 2025 ArtDoc Cover Image + Feature Interview
- May 5, 2025 Royal Photographic Society Feature
April 2025 2
- Apr 22, 2025 Milan Exhibition, with World Water Photo Contest awardees
- Apr 11, 2025 PetaPixel features NatGeo YourShot Best Landscape Photos
January 2025 1
- Jan 15, 2025 Tokyo International Foto Awards 2024: Bronze Prize & Honorable Mention
September 2024 1
- Sep 5, 2024 Photo Series published by ArtDoc Photography Magazine
November 2023 1
- Nov 15, 2023 Article featured on Nature Vision Magazine by Nature Photographers Network
July 2023 1
- Jul 24, 2023 Exclusive Interview on All About Photo
February 2023 2
- Feb 28, 2023 PetaPixel Feature
- Feb 28, 2023 Royal Photographic Society, Women in Photography Finalist
January 2023 1
- Jan 3, 2023 Gold Prize - Editorial/Environmental. 'The Value of Trees,' by Aya Okawa at the Tokyo International Foto Awards
November 2022 1
- Nov 24, 2022 Siena Awards - On Exhibition in Siena, Italy
September 2022 3
- Sep 28, 2022 On exhibit Photo Place Gallery
- Sep 4, 2022 Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Exhibition
- Sep 4, 2022 National Geographic Your Shot Photographer of the Month (July 2022)
February 2022 2
- Feb 15, 2022 Marin Museum of Contemporary Art
- Feb 1, 2022 Solo Exhibition - All About Photo
January 2022 1
- Jan 14, 2022 On CNN for the Samsung Frame nomination for CES 2022
August 2021 1
- Aug 6, 2021 On the CNN Homepage
July 2021 1
- Jul 14, 2021 Smithsonian Magazine Photo of the Day
February 2020 1
- Feb 26, 2020 Exhibited at the Wildling Museum through 2021
January 2020 1
- Jan 5, 2020 Gold & Silver Awards - Science / Environment - Tokyo International Foto Awards
October 2018 2
- Oct 20, 2018 Published in National Geographic book, 'Spectacle'
- Oct 3, 2018 Honorable Mention, International Photo Awards 2018
September 2018 1
- Sep 28, 2018 Published as National Geographic Your Shot Photos of the Week
July 2018 1
- Jul 26, 2018 Big Picture Opening at the California Academy of Sciences
May 2018 1
- May 20, 2018 My photo will be exhibited in the California Academy of Sciences this summer!
April 2018 1
- Apr 27, 2018 2nd Place & Gold Prize in Science at Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA)
December 2017 2
- Dec 21, 2017 3rd Place for Environmental Issues - IPA
- Dec 9, 2017 Chosen for the National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen!
November 2017 1
- Nov 5, 2017 Nat Geo Your Shot Assignment Published
September 2017 3
- Sep 29, 2017 Guest Editor for National Geographic Your Shot's Assignment, "Lines, Textures & Patterns"
- Sep 11, 2017 Grand Prize Winner for The Weather Channel's 'Its Amazing Out There' Contest!
- Sep 6, 2017 Featured by Face the Current - Travel Connection
August 2017 3
- Aug 26, 2017 See the Most Colorful Places on Earth - Nat Geo Photo Story
- Aug 18, 2017 The Guardian 'Unmissable' Photo
- Aug 16, 2017 Smithsonian Photo of the Day
July 2017 3
- Jul 2, 2017 Featured on National Geographic - 47 Amazing Photos
- Jul 2, 2017 Editor's Favorite National Geographic Travel Photographer Contest 2017
- Jul 2, 2017 Honorable Mention Px3
June 2017 1
- Jun 1, 2017 Printed in National Geographic Magazine June 2017
May 2017 3
- May 30, 2017 Bodie, California Ghost Town Story printed in Emirates Air Magazine
- May 23, 2017 Cities in Black and White
- May 19, 2017 National Geographic Photo of the Day
April 2017 2
- Apr 25, 2017 Chosen for the National Geographic Your Shot story "Follow Me"
- Apr 10, 2017 Selected for Nat Geo Daily Dozen
March 2017 7
- Mar 30, 2017 Smithsonian Magazine Photo of the Day!
- Mar 14, 2017 Smithsonian Magazine Photo of the Day, today, on Pi Day!
- Mar 13, 2017 Featured by The Guardian
- Mar 11, 2017 Short-listed for World Water Photo Contest
- Mar 4, 2017 Smithsonian Photo of the Day
- Mar 1, 2017 Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Finalist
- Mar 1, 2017 NatGeo Daily Dozen March 1, 2017
February 2017 2
- Feb 15, 2017 National Geographic Travel #MyClimateChange
- Feb 7, 2017 NatGeo Daily Dozen
January 2017 1
- Jan 4, 2017 Natur Feature
December 2016 2
- Dec 21, 2016 FreshAir Blog
- Dec 10, 2016 Nat Geo Daily Dozen
November 2016 3
- Nov 10, 2016 First Prize for Photo Essay, 'Salt-scapes'
- Nov 6, 2016 Featured in Daily Mail
- Nov 1, 2016 Nat Geo Daily Dozen
October 2016 4
- Oct 28, 2016 Smithsonian Magazine Photo of the Day
- Oct 12, 2016 Editor's Favorite for National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Contest
- Oct 5, 2016 International Photo Awards Second Place, Nature Aerial
- Oct 2, 2016 Smithsonian Magazine Photo of the Day
September 2016 5
- Sep 30, 2016 National Geographic Photo of the Day
- Sep 27, 2016 Nat Geo Daily Dozen
- Sep 20, 2016 Photo of the Day on Smithsonian Magazine
- Sep 12, 2016 Nat Geo Your Shot Daily Dozen
- Sep 11, 2016 Featured in Newsweek Polska
August 2016 6
- Aug 28, 2016 Front page of Washington Post Travel today!
- Aug 25, 2016 National Park Services 100 year Birthday! 2 of my photos featured
- Aug 19, 2016 Thanks National Geographic Travel!
- Aug 14, 2016 Smithsonian Photo of the Day for Old Faithful Resting
- Aug 9, 2016 Smithsonian Photo of the Day!
- Aug 2, 2016 Smithsonian Photo of the Day
July 2016 5
- Jul 30, 2016 National Geographic China Photo of the Day
- Jul 30, 2016 National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen
- Jul 30, 2016 National Geographic Photo of the Day
- Jul 30, 2016 National Geographic Photo of the Day
- Jul 30, 2016 National Geographic Travel Best of 2015
June 2016 2
- Jun 17, 2016 Smithsonian Editor's Favorite
- Jun 2, 2016 Smithsonian Editor's Favorite
May 2016 2
- May 31, 2016 SF Photo story featured on Nat Geo China
- May 9, 2016 National Geographic Travel featured my photo story about San Francisco!
April 2016 1
- Apr 1, 2016 Featured in National Geographic Magazine (Online & iPad vs) April Issue
December 2015 3
- Dec 26, 2015 Featured on 25 Best National Geographic Travel Photos
- Dec 17, 2015 Smithsonian Photo of the Day - December 17, 2015
- Dec 17, 2015 National Geographic China Photo of the Day
October 2015 1
- Oct 15, 2015 National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen
July 2015 1
- Jul 30, 2015 National Geographic Travel Photo of the Day - July 30, 2015
April 2015 1
- Apr 16, 2015 National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen
March 2015 1
- Mar 31, 2015 National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen
February 2015 1
- Feb 23, 2015 National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen
January 2015 1
- Jan 30, 2015 National Geographic Your Shot Daily Dozen

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