A Sunrise Beach Stroll Captures the Latest Duke Time Off Photo Prize

All eligible staff and faculty photos taken and shared between May 20 and Aug. 3, 2026, will be entered to win grand prizes

A photo of sunrise at a pier
Mark Darby, Senior IT Analyst for Duke Clinical Research Institute, captured this photo of a pier at Emerald Isle while on vacation with his wife in late May. Photo courtesy of Mark Darby

Mark Darby considers himself a “mountain person.” His wife, Elaine, is a “beach person.”

That means every other year, Darby, a Senior IT Analyst for Duke Clinical Research Institute, travels someplace like his “happy spot” in Pipestem, West Virginia. And every other year, Darby finds himself on vacation with sand beneath his feet.

This summer, Darby and his wife traveled to Emerald Isle for a beach vacation and to see their nephew marry his sweetheart, and as usual, Darby awoke between 4 and 5 a.m. He wandered down to Bogue Inland Fishing Pier and captured the sunrise, the sky a russet orange hue beneath the pier and bright blue above it.

“While the pier shots at sunrise are cool, my favorite pictures are of people,” Darby said.

Darby’s picture is the latest winner in Working@Duke’s 2026 Duke Time Off campaign, which highlights the value of using Duke’s paid time off benefit for well-being.

A photo of sunrise at a pier
Senior IT Analyst Mark Darby says he typically wakes up between 4 and 5 a.m. – which was just in time to snap this sunrise photo on Emerald Isle. Photo courtesy of Mark Darby

The photo was chosen by the Working@Duke Editorial Team as the second winner in the summer-long campaign. As the winner, Darby will receive a 24-can cooler courtesy of Duke University Stores.

One Duke-themed prize courtesy of Duke University Stores will be given away roughly once every two weeks throughout the summer.

All eligible photos taken and shared between May 20 and Aug. 3, 2026 through the online form or on social media by tagging Working@Duke (@WorkingatDuke) and using #DukeTimeOff, will be entered to win grand prizes, courtesy of the following Duke entities: 

  • A “Classic Package for Two” ($425 value) at the Washington Duke Inn. The package includes a king or double/double room for one night and full breakfast for two in the Vista Room or room service. Sunday brunch is not eligible.
  • A lemur tour for four at the Duke Lemur Center.
  • Two winners will each receive a pair of tickets to a Duke Arts Presents performance. 
  • A $50 Duke Dining gift card will go to an eligible staff or faculty member on social media who tags Working@Duke or in their photo and follows @WorkingatDuke on social media. Please also use #DukeTimeOff.

Grand prize winners will be announced on Working@Duke in late August.

To participate, here's what to do.

Send story ideas, shout-outs and photographs through our story idea form or write working@duke.edu.

Follow Working@Duke on X (Twitter), Facebook and Instagram and subscribe on YouTube.