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. With more than 500 entries in the 2025 Photo Contest, this year’s winning photos show the diversity of life and natural beauty that is abundant within our region – brilliantly colored songbirds, flowing rivers, hidden caverns hosting entire ecosystems beneath our feet, and clear views of a million stars above.