MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Amateur photographers have until Oct. 30 to submit images for the 2027 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest, an annual competition highlighting the state’s wildlife, landscapes, public lands and outdoor recreation.
The contest is a project of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It is open to amateur photographers who live in Alabama as well as visitors, provided their qualifying photographs were taken in Alabama during 2025 or 2026. ADCNR employees and members of their immediate families are not eligible.
Photographers may submit up to 10 images total. All 10 may be entered in one category, or entries may be divided among several categories.
The 2027 contest includes:
- Alabama State Parks
- Birds
- Bugs and Butterflies
- Cold-blooded Critters
- Nature-Based Recreation
- Scenic
- Shoots and Roots
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Wildlife
- Young Photographers
The Alabama State Parks category includes scenery and people participating in recreational activities at any of Alabama’s 21 state parks. Entrants must identify the park where the photograph was taken.
The Birds category includes native or migratory songbirds, hummingbirds, game birds and raptors. The Bugs and Butterflies category includes insects and other arthropods, such as bees, butterflies, dragonflies and spiders.
Turtles, frogs, snakes, lizards, salamanders, crayfish and fish may be entered in the Cold-blooded Critters category. Mammals, including deer, squirrels, black bears, bats, otters and foxes, belong in the Wildlife category. Pets and livestock are not eligible in the Wildlife category.
The Nature-Based Recreation category is reserved for images of people enjoying outdoor activities, including hunting, fishing, boating, paddling, hiking, camping, mountain biking, rock climbing and surfing. Organizers encourage hunting and fishing photographs, but organized sports are not eligible.
The Scenic category includes waterfalls, mountain and canyon vistas, beaches, coastal scenery, landscapes, swamps, bayous, wetlands, sunrises, sunsets and nighttime images such as astrophotography. Scenery must be the prominent feature of the photograph.
Wildflowers, foliage, fungi, fruiting bodies and other parts of plants and trees may be submitted in Shoots and Roots. The Sweet Home Alabama category includes natural or manmade landmarks, inanimate objects and regional festivals. Examples listed by organizers include Birmingham’s Vulcan statue, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Saturn V, city skylines, Alabama’s Natural Bridge and the National Peanut Festival.[2]
The contest emphasizes traditional photography techniques and images made with handheld cameras. Cellphone, smartphone, game-camera and drone photographs will not be selected as winning images in nine of the 10 categories.
Smartphone and tablet images are accepted only in the Young Photographers category, which is open to photographers 17 and younger. Photographers 18 and older must enter one of the other categories.
Images must be submitted online in JPG format. Files must be between 5 megabytes and 10 megabytes, with a resolution of 300 dpi and a longest side measuring between 2,500 and 4,500 pixels.
Photographers must provide information about each image during the upload process, including details such as the species photographed and the location.
Minor adjustments to color, contrast, sharpness, spotting, dodging and burning are permitted. Excessive manipulation, including the use of artificial intelligence, may disqualify an image. HDR effects, collages and photo composites also are prohibited.
Images containing borders, watermarks, dates or photographers’ names will be disqualified.
Judges will consider image quality, composition, content, originality, uniqueness, creativity and general appeal, with an emphasis on traditional photography and handheld cameras.
First-, second- and third-place winners, along with an honorable mention, will be selected in each category. Prizes may include items provided by ADCNR and the Alabama Tourism Department.
Winning images will be featured online and in a traveling exhibit at locations throughout Alabama during 2027. Winners will be notified by email in March 2027, and only contest winners will receive notification.
The current 2026 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest exhibit is scheduled to remain on display at the Oak Mountain State Park Interpretive Center in Pelham through Sept. 16. A retrospective featuring winning images from the 2021-25 contests is scheduled to remain at the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery in downtown Montgomery through Sept. 25. Both exhibits are free to attend.
The contest is accepting entries online through the Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest website.