Parks & Trails Council

2026 Photo Contest

Deadline

June 14th, 2026

Guidelines

Details and judging criteria

Prizes

Variety of Prizes

NE State Parks & Trails

STATE TRAILS
Cuyuna Lakes | Gitchi Gami | Willard Munger

SE State Parks & Trails

SW State Parks & Trails

STATE TRAILS
Casey Jones | Glacial Lakes | Sakatah Singing Hills

NW State Parks & Trails

STATE TRAILS
Central Lakes | Heartland | Paul Bunyan

Full Timeline

Jan. 9th, 2026 – Submissions process opens

June 14th, 2026 – Deadline for submissions

June 15th-17th, 2026 – Judging selection process

June 30th, 2026 – Winners announced online and on social media

Photo Requirements

Photo must be taken in a state park or trail in Minnesota.
Limit of 4 photos per person.
Photo must be 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 the 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 photo’s 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, and focus of the shot.

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 copies of the calendar.

Hints for increasing chances of being featured:

Consider submitting spring, winter, or fall photos, rather than summer.
Submit horizontal photos that would fill a calendar page.

Magazine Feature

First-place photos from each category will be published in 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 be recognized.

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

Your Name

Your Email

Photo 1 Submission

Please select the park or trail where your photo 1 was taken. The location determines the category (e.g., NE, NW, SE, SW). Only choose one category per photo.

Northeast

Northwest

Southeast

Southwest

Photo 1 - Caption / Details

Upload Photo 1

Photo 2 Submission (optional)

To submit a second photo, please select the park or trail where your photo 2 was taken. The location determines the category (e.g., NE, NW, SE, SW). Only choose one category per photo.

Leave blank and click Next button to skip if you only want to submit one photo.

Northeast

Northwest

Southeast

Southwest

Photo 2 - Caption / Details

Upload Photo 2

Photo 3 Submission (optional)

To submit a second photo, please select the park or trail where your photo 3 was taken. The location determines the category (e.g., NE, NW, SE, SW). Only choose one category per photo.

Leave blank and click Next button to skip this photo.

Northeast

Northwest

Southeast

Southwest

Photo 3 - Caption / Details

Upload Photo 3

Photo 3 Submission (optional)

To submit a second photo, please select the park or trail where your photo 4 was taken. The location determines the category (e.g., NE, NW, SE, SW). Only choose one category per photo.

Leave blank and click Next button to skip this photo.

Northeast

Northwest

Southeast

Southwest

Photo 4 - Caption / Details

Upload Photo 4

Acceptance - By submitting, you agree to the following

I am the creator and owner of the photo I am about to submit. I retain all rights to my photograph; however, by entering this contest, I grant Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota (P&TC) a royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works from the submitted photograph(s), in whole or in part, in any media format, for promotional, educational, and marketing purposes.

PTCM agrees to provide photographer credit whenever reasonably possible. I understand that P&TC is not required to pay any additional compensation or seek further approval for these uses.

By submitting my photograph, I confirm that I have the full legal rights to do so and that my submission does not infringe on the rights of any third party. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless P&TC against any claims related to unauthorized use of the submitted material.