2025 Friends of Blackwater Photo Contest

The photo contest has closed. Once the judges have selected the winners, we will announce them here.

The Friends of Blackwater (FOB) are hosting a digital photo contest from February 1, 2025 through March 31, 2025 to showcase Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and raise funds for Refuge projects. Visitors are invited to submit photos taken between January 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025, in Refuge areas open to the public, which includes the Wildlife Drive, Marsh Edge Trail, Woods Trail, Tubman Road Trail, paddling trails, the Visitor Center butterfly garden, Key Wallace Drive (bridge area), and Refuge property along Maple Dam Road, as well as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center Legacy Garden.

Winners and honorable mentions will be determined by our 3 judges. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will receive monetary awards and will be invited to exhibit framed prints of the winning submissions at the Blackwater NWR Visitor Center.

Entrant Categories, Fees, and Awards

Adult: Age 18 and older as of March 31, 2025.
Fees: $30 for up to first three (3), $10 for each additional photo. Maximum of 6 photos total.
Awards in each photo category: 1st Place- $100, 2nd Place- $75, 3rd Place- $50.

Youth: Ages 13-17 as of March 31, 2025.
Fees: Free to enter. Maximum of 3 photos total.
Awards in each photo category: 1st Place- $50, 2nd Place- $25, 3rd Place- $15.

Photo Categories

Wildlife (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc.)
Flora and Macro (plants, fungi, spiders, insects, etc.)
Landscapes and waterscapes
Nightscapes