Although the prizes for placing at the national competition have varied slightly from year to year, the following were the prizes awarded at the 2005 National Ocean Sciences Bowl:
* 1st Place Prize - Trip to Hawaii (Sponsored by the Hilton Waikoloa Village)
* 2nd Place Prize - Trip to Bermuda (Sponsored by the Bermuda Biological Station for Research)
* 3rd Place Prize - Trip to Catalina Island (Sponsored by UC-Davis)
* 4th Place Prize - Trip to the Great Lakes (Sponsored by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory)
* 5th-8th Place Prizes - Gift certificates for scientific equipment and marine science textbooks