2024 Photo Contest – “Home in the Hill Country”

The Photo Contest runs May 1 through May 31, 2024. 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 2025 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.

Springtime may just be the best time to live in the Hill Country. Bluebonnet blooms give way to fields of firewheels as flights of butterflies swoop across winding roads and migrating songbirds return to their summer homes. In many places, recent rains have greened things up and allowed local swimming holes a brief respite before the summer heat hits in full force. Picturesque small towns are bustling on the weekends with spring concert series and mural unveilings – like the one in Kerrville on Saturday, 5/4. Across the region, locals and weekenders alike are appreciating the delicate wonder of our beautiful home – whether they realize it or not.

The Hill Country Alliance (HCA) calls on anyone with a camera to share your view of this iconic region and its many inhabitants in the 2024 Home in the Hill Country Photo Contest. May 1 through May 31, 2024, entries can be submitted to HCA’s website. Photographers of all ages and skill levels, from amateur to professional, are invited to participate in HCA’s 18th annual photography contest. Winners will receive cash prizes and their photos will appear in HCA’s 2025 Calendar.  

Photography should be original and capture the vibrant beauty of our native landscapes, wildlife, and water resources of the Texas Hill Country – from rocky creekbeds to wide-open vistas to our starry skies. Beyond wildlife and plants that call the Hill Country home, contest judges are particularly excited to see photography that captures the people and communities that make up this special part of Texas.

Entering is easy! Photos can be submitted online in just a few minutes. See below for details. 

Winning Photos and Prizes

Winners:

13 winners will appear in HCA’s 2025 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 2025 Texas Hill Country Calendar.

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
• Contestants must be the original photographer and/or owner of the copyright of each photo submitted.
• 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 original 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!