2024 Hill Country Photo Contest Results Announced
2024 Photo Contest Results Announced
“Home in the Hill Country”
Grand Prize – Sunset by Jesus Corona
Thank you to all who entered! Click here to read the full press release announcing the winners.
The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful region filled with diverse wildlife, clear springs, sprawling rural landscapes, historic towns, and some of the starriest night skies in the country. With a rapidly growing population and increasing development coming into the region, many of these special qualities are at risk of being lost. Each year the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) holds a photo contest encouraging photographers to capture features of the Texas Hill Country they would like to protect forever.
This year, the 2024 Hill Country Alliance Photo Contest received more than 550 entries with head-turning submissions, ranging from enchanting wildlife to wide open fields of abundant wildflowers. The final four winning photographs were selected by a panel of judges and are featured in HCA’s popular 2025 Texas Hill Country Calendar, available now on the HCA website.
Sunsets took the spotlight, receiving both grand prize and the first runner up awards. Grand prize-winning photographer Jesus Corona submitted “Sunset” an idyllic shot of a field of wildflowers in the setting sun in Bexar County, while Gary T. Ray’s “Gruene Nights” took home first runner up for a brilliant pink sky over the lively small town. Bill Weekley’s “Danger in the Wildflowers” – a close-up on a rattlesnake in Kerr County – took second runner up and third prize went to Mike Zarella for “Gray Fox up a Tree,” taken in Blanco County. Additionally, William Shelton’s “Bluebonnet and Live Oak Road” was selected as the People’s Choice Award winner after nearly 400 digital votes.
1st Place Winner - Gruene Nights
Photographer: Gray T. Ray
2nd Place Winner - Danger in the Wildflowers
Photographer: Bill Weekley
3rd Place Winner - Gray Fox up a Tree
Photographer: Mike Zarella
People's Choice Award Winner - Bluebonnet and Live Oak Road
Photographer: William Shelton
In addition to these photo contest winners, the Hill Country Alliance would like to recognize the following contestants whose photography is featured in the 2025 Hill Country Calendar:
Airon Mothershed
Alan Zhou
Ashley Campbell
Aspen McCallum
Baba Arimilli
Carol Serur
Carolyn Whiteside
Daniel Gomez
Delaney Kempf
Donna Chance
Elvis Canoy
Gary Sertich
Jackies Wise
Jacob Saunders
Jeff Newton
Jennifer Bauerkemper
Jess Brown
Joseph Richards
JP Sanchez
Katherine Carvajal
Kim Smith
Lisa Hood
Matthew Guthrie
Meghan James
Michael Tidwell
Michael Wight
Nicky Scott
P. Michael Jones
Patty Robertson
Paul Huchton
Shelby Sckittone
Steffen Baumgart
Stephen Isenhower
Tim Speer
The Hill Country Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. Visit us at www.hillcountryalliance.org.
Learn about past photo contests: 2023 Hill Country Photo Contest
Contact:
Leah Cuddeback, Storytelling and Public Engagement – Hill Country Alliance | leah@hillcountryalliance.org