Photography Contest
Photographer: Katharine Gail Vogel of Marshalltown, IA
The 16th Annual Photo Contest is Now Open!
The 16th Annual Photo Contest
Any time is a great time to take a photo of your favorite place in Iowa. Grab your camera and take that shot and enter it in Keep Iowa Beautiful’s Annual Photography Contest aimed at raising awareness of Iowa’s rural and urban beauty. This photo contest offers both amateur and experienced photographers an opportunity to tell Iowa’s story in a fun, engaging way during your favorite season.
Phase One
The two-phase contest will close on December 12, 2025. Each of the six categories will be awarded 1st place: $100, 2nd place: $75, and 3rd place: $50.
Submission Categories:
- Iowa Landscape: Capture Iowa’s beauty through depictions of Iowa’s landscape, including but not limited to: farm fields, rolling hills, and wooded forests.
- Iowa Water: Feature Iowa’s beautiful water systems with depictions of Iowa rivers, streams, ponds and lakes.
- Iowa Cities: Iowa’s urban centers are hubs of history, culture, and beauty. This category features depictions of Iowa’s cities, street scenes, and urban landmarks.
- Iowans in Action: This category aims to capture the spirit of Iowa through depictions of the people that live, work, and play in Iowa. All means of action that can be captured: biking, running, fishing, hunting and hiking are but a few.
- Iowa Wildlife: Iowa is home to a variety of beautiful critters. This category aims to showcase Iowa’s beauty through depictions of Iowa’s wildlife animals: mammals, fish, birds, bugs and more!
- Hometown Pride: 100+ Iowa towns have participated in our “Hometown Pride” program. This category features depictions of Hometown Pride towns and/or photos of activities by Hometown Pride committees. Please review the list of Hometown Pride towns to see if your photo qualifies.
Phase Two
Robert D. Ray Best of Show Award
Each of the six categories winners will be judged by a panel of distinguished judges for the Robert D. Ray Best of Show Award. The top three winners will receive the following awards: 1st place: $500, 2nd place: $250 and third place: $100.
Public Favorite Award
The winning photographs in all six categories will be featured on Keep Iowa Beautiful’s social media page for voting by the public. The photograph with the most votes will be awarded the Public Favorite Award. The award winner will receive $100.
NEW! Youth Winner
New for 2025/2026 we will have a youth winner. To participate as a youth, you must be in K-12 and 18 or under. The award winner will receive $100. (Photos submitted by youth will also be eligible for all other categories).
CONTEST RULES
Terms
Entry into the Keep Iowa Beautiful Annual Photo Contest (the “Contest”) is currently open. The contest submission period ends on December 12, 2025. The Contest rules consist of the phases set forth below in these Official rules.
Deadline
All entries must be submitted and received by 11:59 PM on December 12, 2025.
Eligibility
The contest is open to all amateur and professional photographers. Photos must be submitted by the individual who took the photograph. All photos must be of a scene taken within the State of Iowa. Contest sponsors, judges and Keep Iowa Beautiful staff and members of their immediate family are not eligible to enter.
Submission
Submission is by online registration form at www.keepiowabeautiful.com/photograph-contest/ Entry fee of $5 will be paid online through STRIPE for each photo submitted. An individual may submit an unlimited number of photos.
Format
Photographs must be in high-resolution digital format. No print or film submissions will be accepted. All digital files must be 5 MB or smaller, must be in .jpg format, and must be at least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image). Images may have minor alterations for color, contrast, cropping, but may not be significantly altered, appear unnatural or have elements added or removed. AI (Artificial Intelligence)-generated imagery may not be submitted to this competition. Any images submitted to the competition using AI-generated imagery will be disqualified with no refund.
Photo Eligibility Rules
All photos submitted must be taken within the State of Iowa. You may enter one or more of the six categories: Iowa Landscape, Iowa Water, Iowa Cities, Iowans in Action, Iowa Wildlife and Hometown Pride. Category details below.
Model releases are not required to enter photos. If a photograph contains a recognizable person, photographers agree that they have requested permission to photograph subjects and are able to provide a model release to KIB upon request.
The photo must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity, or intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement. The photo must not contain brand names or trademarks. The photo must, in its entirety, be a single work of original material taken by the contestant. The photo must not, in the sole discretion of KIB , contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene, hateful, tortuous, defamatory, slanderous, or libelous; promotes bigotry, racism, hatred, or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age. Photos must not depict cruelty or harm to wildlife, domestic animals or pets.
Reproduction Rights
Photographers retain all copyrights associated with their photograph(s). Entry in the contest constitutes agreement to allow winning photographs to be published and used by KIB on our social media, website, program materials and emails. Examples of typical use include: posting the winning photographs on our website and social media, including photos in our monthly e-newsletter, publishing winners in our annual report, and promoting the photo contest on social media. Photographers will be given credit when their photo is used. KIB will never sell your photos to any outside source. Inquiries by third parties regarding use of the photos will be referred directly to the photographer.
View the 15th Annual Photography Contest Winning Photos Here!
