2022 Photo Contest: Snapshot of the Hill Country
Update – June 2022
The 2022 Hill Country Photo Contest has ended – thank you to all who entered! We will be contacting finalists over the next month and hope to wrap judging in July. Stay tuned for updates!
2022 Photo Contest – “Snapshot of the Hill Country”
The Photo Contest ran from March 15 – May 31, 2022. Photographers of all ages and skill levels, from amateurs to professionals, are invited to participate. Winners will receive cash prizes and their photos will appear in HCA’s 2023 Calendar. HCA’s annual Texas Hill Country Calendar features stunning photography from each year’s photo contest. Both the photo contest and the calendar aim to highlight the beauty of the region, provide an informative resource on Hill Country conservation, and inspire folks to learn more and become involved in the issues important to keeping the natural resources of this unique region intact.
The Texas Hill Country is changing. The scenic beauty and abundant natural resources that have brought folks to Central Texas for thousands of years are at risk of being loved to death. As a recently released report from the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network stresses, the window of opportunity to protect and sustain the Hill Country’s natural treasures will likely close within our generation. This report shows a brief impression – a snapshot – of life in the Hill Country that embodies what we have and what we stand to lose.
When you look at the Hill Country, what do you see? This spring, the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) calls on anyone with a camera to share your view of our changing region in the 16th annual Hill Country Photo Contest, “Snapshot of the Hill Country.” Entries can be submitted to HCA’s website. Photographers of all ages and skill levels, from amateur to professional, are invited to participate. Winners will receive cash prizes and their photos will appear in HCA’s 2023 Calendar.
This year’s photo contest challenges photographers to share their view of the fragile resources, growing communities, and persistent beauty of the Texas Hill Country. As always, we hope the photo contest will allow photographers to share images of the Hill Country’s breathtaking vistas, clear waters, starry night skies, and close-knit communities that they want to capture and protect forever. In addition, we hope that contestants this year will also share snapshots of change in the region—impacts of growth, contrast between old and new, or images of the things they would like to see stay the same forever. We particularly encourage photographers to consider submitting shots that feature the diversity of the Hill Country, its people, and its future.
Winning Photos and Prizes
Winners:
13 winners will appear in HCA’s 2023 Texas Hill Country Calendar. Other photos will be featured throughout the calendar in cameo appearances. In addition to a full page photo feature, winners will receive a cash prize.
Grand Prize: $300
First Prize: $200
Second Prize: $150
Third Prize: $100
All other calendar page winners: $50
People’s Choice Honoree:
This year’s photo contest will provide an opportunity for the public to view the photos that have been entered into the photo contest and vote for their favorite. The photo receiving the highest number of votes will be named the People’s Choice Honoree. The People’s Choice recipient will receive a $100 prize and a feature in HCA’s 2023 Texas Hill Country Calendar.
Map shows counties and major cities considered to be part of the Texas Hill Country and therefore eligible for entry into the photo contest.
Enter Your Photos
Important tips:
- Read the Terms and Conditions carefully to make sure your photos qualify before uploading your photos
- Only color photographs with a horizontal/landscape layout will be eligible
- Do not add text (including names and dates), borders, frames or other digitally alterations beyond standard optimization (see Terms and Conditions for details)
- Only photographs taken in the 17-county Hill Country region will qualify – see map
- After uploading your photos, go to the “your images” tab and click on each image to make sure it uploaded properly. If you are not satisfied with a photo you may delete your photo and try again. Be aware any votes for your photo will be lost upon deleting. If you run into issues uploading a new photo, email leah@hillcountryalliance.org
Remember – the HCA photo contest and calendar are all about conservation! Focus on entering photos that feature native plants and wildlife, starry skies, Texas heritage, and examples of people enjoying our healthy riparian areas, waterways, landscapes and land stewardship practices!