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2024 Photo Contest

Parks & Trails Council

2024 Photo Contest

Submit Your Photos

Photo Categories

Four regions of Minnesota

NW State Parks & Trails

STATE PARKS:

Big Bog | Buffalo River | Crow Wing | Cuyuna Country | Franz Jevne | Garden Island | Glendalough | Hayes Lake | Itasca | Lake Bemidji | Lake Bronson | La Salle Lake | Maplewood | Old Mill | Red River | Scenic | Schoolcraft | Zippel Bay

STATE TRAILS:

Cuyuna Lakes | Heartland | Paul Bunyan

NE State Parks & Trails

STATE PARKS:

Bear Head Lake | Cascade River | George H. Crosby Manitou | Gooseberry Falls | Grand Portage | Hill Annex Mine | Jay Cooke | Judge CR Magney | Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine | McCarthy Beach | Moose Lake | Savanna Portage | Split Rock Lighthouse | Temperance River | Tettegouche

STATE TRAILS:

Gitchi Gami | Willard Munger

SW State Parks & Trails

STATE PARKS:
Big Stone Lake | Blue Mounds | Camden | Charles A lindbergh | Father Hennepin | Flandrau | Fort Ridgley | Glacial Lakes | Greenleaf Lake | Kilen Woods | Lac qui Parle | Lake Carlos | Lake Maria | Lake Shetek | Mille Lacs Kathio | Minneopa | Minnesota Valley | Monson Lake | Sakatah Lake | Sibley | Split Rock Creek | Upper Sioux Agency

STATE TRAILS:
Casey Jones | Central Lakes | Glacial Lakes | Luce Line | Minnesota Valley | Sakatah Singing Hills

SE State Parks & Trails

STATE PARKS:

Afton | Banning | Beaver Creek Valley | Carley | Forestville/Mystery Cave | Fort Snelling | Frontenac | Great River Bluffs | Interstate | John A Latsch | Lake Louise | Myre Big Island | Nerstrand Big Woods | Rice Lake | St. Croix | Whitewater | Wild River | William O’Brien

STATE TRAILS:

Blazing Star | Brown’s Creek | Gateway | Goodhue Pioneer | Great River Ridge | Douglas | Mill Towns | Harmony-Preston Valley | Root River | Shooting Star

Deadline

July 24, 2024

Full Timeline

June 24 – Submissions process opens

July 24 – Submission deadline

July 25-31 – Judging selection process

August 5 – Winners announced online and on social media

Guidelines

Details and judging criteria

Photo Requirements

Photo must be taken in a state park or trail in Minnesota.
Limit of 4 photos per person.
Photo must have been taken and owned by the person submitting (e.g., copyright has not been sold to another person or entity)
Photo must be in .jpeg or .jpg format
Photo must not depict anything against the rules of the park or trail where photo was taken.
The recommended size of the photo is
- 300 dpi.
- At least 2,000 pixels on the longest side. Larger images are encouraged and may improve your photos’ quality.
- The winning photos must be of sufficient quality to use in print publications.
- Less than 8 MB.
Photos must not be digitally altered beyond standard optimization.
- Acceptable changes include adjustments to color, contrast, brightness, and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black-and-white conversions; and use of HDR (High Dynamic Range), where multiple exposures of the same scene are combined for a greater tonal range, and similar processes for extended depth of field.

Judging Criteria

A panel of judges will be choosing the winners using the following criteria:

1. Content – capturing the unique qualities, experiences or beauty of that park or trail. Photos from any season is welcome.

2. Composition – the framing and balance of elements within the shot.

3. Technical Quality – the lighting, crispness, color, focus of the shot.

Prizes

Variety of prizes

Calendar Feature

All photos (not just the winners) have the potential to be featured with photographer credit in our 2025 calendar. Any photographer whose photo is selected will receive two copies of the calendar, plus a discount on any additional copies.

Hints for increasing chances of being featured:

consider submitting spring, winter, or fall photos, rather than summer.
submit horizontal photo that would fill a calendar page.

Magazine Feature

four issues of Minnesota Trails Magazine

First-place photos from each category will be published in the Winter 2024 edition of Minnesota Trails Magazine, which is distributed to all state parks and many bike shops and mailed to P&TC members.

State Park Gift Cards

Gift cards to Minnesota State Parks will be awarded as follows for each of the 4 categories.

1st = $50 value
2nd = $40 value
3rd = $30 value

Online Recognition

All submitted photos (that abide by the rules and criteria) will be displayed on this page of our website and winners will recognized.

All winning photographs will be recognized on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Submissions are open through July 24

Northeast State Parks and Trails

STATE PARKS:
Bear Head Lake | Banning | Cascade River | Cuyuna Lakes | Father Hennepin | George H. Crosby Manitou | Gooseberry Falls | Grand Portage | Franz Jevne | Jay Cooke | Judge CR Magney | Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine | McCarthy Beach | Mille Lacs Kathio | Moose Lake | Savanna Portage | Scenic | Schoolcraft | Split Rock Lighthouse | St. Croix | Temperance River | Tettegouche

STATE TRAILS:
Cuyuna Lakes | Gitchi Gami | Willard Munger

Photos will be displayed here as submissions are received. It may take up to one week before submissions are viewable here.

Grief<br /> by Molly Parkinson — Tettegouche State Park
Grief
by Molly Parkinson

Winter is when the North Shore and Split Rock Lighthouse really shine! Especially with a view like this.<br /> by Hayes Scriven — Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Winter is when the North Shore and Split Rock Lighthouse really shine! Especially with a view like this.
by Hayes Scriven

Fall Colors along the North Shore are the best in the State.<br /> by Hayes Scriven — Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Fall Colors along the North Shore are the best in the State.
by Hayes Scriven

July is a great month to catch a sunrise at Split Rock Lighthouse. If you are in the right spot, the sun will pass directly behind the tower.<br /> by Hayes Scriven — Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
July is a great month to catch a sunrise at Split Rock Lighthouse. If you are in the right spot, the sun will pass directly behind the tower.
by Hayes Scriven

Kayaking below Split Rock Lighthouse is a special experience. You can get some very unique angles.<br /> by Hayes Scriven — Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
Kayaking below Split Rock Lighthouse is a special experience. You can get some very unique angles.
by Hayes Scriven

Gooseberry Falls on a late summer morning<br /> by Rob Upcraft — Gooseberry Falls State Park
Gooseberry Falls on a late summer morning
by Rob Upcraft

Gooseberry Falls on an early summer morning<br /> by Rob Upcraft — Gooseberry Falls State Park
Gooseberry Falls on an early summer morning
by Rob Upcraft

A Natural Obsession<br /> by Molly Parkinson — Gooseberry Falls State Park
A Natural Obsession
by Molly Parkinson

Submit Your Photos

Southeast State Parks and Trails

STATE PARKS:
Afton | Beaver Creek Valley | Carley | Forestville/Mystery Cave | Fort Snelling | Frontenac | Great River Bluffs | Interstate | John A Latsch | Lake Louise | Lake Maria | Minnesota Valley | Myre Big Island | Nerstrand Big Woods | Rice Lake | Sakatha Lake | Whitewater | Wild River | William O’Brien

STATE TRAILS:
Blazing Star | Brown’s Creek | Gateway | Goodhue Pioneer | Great River Ridge | Douglas | Mill Towns | Harmony-Preston Valley | Root River | Shooting Star

Photos will be displayed here as submissions are received. It may take up to one week before submissions are viewable here.

<br /> by John Kenkel — Whitewater State Park

by John Kenkel

<br /> by John Kenkel — Nerstrand Big Woods

by John Kenkel

<br /> by Michael K Murray — Frontenac State Park

by Michael K Murray

<br /> by John Kenkel — Carley State Park

by John Kenkel

Wild River Star Trails. On a calm, late summer evening I stood on the road to the canoe landing to watch the stars come out. This fifteen minute exposure is just enough to show the motion of the Earth. Notice the North Star, which remains as a point of guidance.<br />by Steve Simmer — Wild River State Park
Wild River Star Trails. On a calm, late summer evening I stood on the road to the canoe landing to watch the stars come out. This fifteen minute exposure is just enough to show the motion of the Earth. Notice the North Star, which remains as a point of guidance.
by Steve Simmer

by Jennifer — Whitewater State Park
by Jennifer

<br />by Jennifer — Root River State Trail

by Jennifer

<br />by Jennifer — Great River Bluffs State Park

by Jennifer

Submit Your Photos

Southwest State Parks

STATE PARKS:
Big Stone Lake | Blue Mounds | Camden | Flandrau | Fort Ridgley | Glacial Lakes | Greenleaf Lake | Kilen Woods | Lac qui Parle | Lake Shetek | Minneopa | Monson Lake | Sibley | Split Rock Creek

STATE TRAILS:
Casey Jones | Glacial Lakes | Sakatah Singing Hills

Photos will be displayed here as submissions are received. It may take up to one week before submissions are viewable here.

Summer flowers<br /> by Olivia Stanton — Lake Shetek State Park
Summer flowers
by Olivia Stanton

<br /> by Michael K Murray — Glacial Lakes State Park

by Michael K Murray

Camden State Park in early fall<br /> by Rob Upcraft — Gooseberry Falls State Park
Camden State Park in early fall
by Rob Upcraft

<br /> by Michael K Murray — Camden State Park

by Michael K Murray

<br /> by John Kenkel — Blue Mounds State Park

by John Kenkel

Is there a duck more beautiful than the male wood duck? I get excited everytime I see one. For this photograph the lighting was the best for showing off all its true colors<br />by Kay V Christianson — Sakatah State Trail
Is there a duck more beautiful than the male wood duck? I get excited everytime I see one. For this photograph the lighting was the best for showing off all its true colors
by Kay V Christianson

The Showy Lady's Slipper, our state flower is one to be proud of. It is elusive. It blooms for only a short time, under very special conditions. I was lucky to capture this one at just the right time<br />by Kay V Christianson — Sakatah State Trail
The Showy Lady's Slipper, our state flower is one to be proud of. It is elusive. It blooms for only a short time, under very special conditions. I was lucky to capture this one at just the right time
by Kay V Christianson

The transparent beauty of the dragonfly has always intriqued me. I was lucky enough for this one to stop long enough in its flight for me to capture that beauty.<br />by Kay V Christianson — Sakatah State Trail
The transparent beauty of the dragonfly has always intriqued me. I was lucky enough for this one to stop long enough in its flight for me to capture that beauty.
by Kay V Christianson

Submit Your Photos

Northwest State Parks and Trails

STATE PARKS:
Big Bog | Buffalo River | Crow Wing | Garden Island | Glendalough | Hayes Lake | Itasca | Lake Bemidji | Lake Bronson | Lake Carlos | La Salle Lake | Maplewood | Old Mill | Red River | Scenic | Schoolcraft | Zippel Bay

STATE TRAILS:
Central Lakes | Heartland | Paul Bunyan

Photos will be displayed here as submissions are received. It may take up to one week before submissions are viewable here.

Beautiful fall morning<br /> by Olivia Stanton — Maplewood State Park
Beautiful fall morning
by Olivia Stanton

Image comprised of two negatives<br /> by Michael K Murray — Itasca State Park
Image comprised of two negatives
by Michael K Murray

<br /> by Amy Rieland — Itasca State Park

by Amy Rieland

<br /> by Amy Rieland — Itasca State Park

by Amy Rieland

<br /> by Amy Rieland — Charles Lindbergh State Park

by Amy Rieland

<br /> by Amy Rieland — Charles Lindbergh State Park

by Amy Rieland

Zippel Bay<br />by Kaitlyn Storrs — Zippel Bay
Zippel Bay
by Kaitlyn Storrs

Lake Bemidji State Park<br />by Kaitlyn Storrs — Lake Bemidji State Park
Lake Bemidji State Park
by Kaitlyn Storrs

Submit Your Photos

View Previous Winners