2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest Winners Announced

March 12, 2025 - The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is excited to announce the winners of the 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest. As usual, the judges had a very difficult time selecting the winning images from the nearly 2,000 photos that were entered.

"Alabama is a photographer's paradise thanks to its wide variety of natural landscapes, native plants and wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities," said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. "From the north Alabama mountains to the state's Gulf Coast, the winning images in the 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest highlight the natural beauty of our great state. Congrats to all of this year's winners!"

Sponsors of the 2025 photo contest include Alabama State Parks, the Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association and the Alabama Tourism Department. Each winner will receive a prize pack and be featured in a traveling exhibit in 2025. When the traveling exhibit schedule is finalized, it will be posted on http://www.outdooralabama.com.

Click here to see the 2025 winning images! https://www.flickr.com/photos/outdooralabama/albums/72177720324349088/with/54378457524

Categories and Winners

Alabama State Parks

1st Place - Jennifer Lynn Grainger, Cheaha State Park Overlook

2nd Place - Will Childers, Gulf State Park Pier at Sunset

3rd Place - Drew Senter, Peavine Falls at Oak Mountain State Park

Honorable Mention - Christopher Baker, Sunset at Lake Guntersville State Park

Birds

1st Place - Debra Lucas, Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Alabaster

2nd Place - Mark Watts, Marbled Godwit on Dauphin Island

3rd Place - Amber Hart, Blue-winged Warbler in Guntersville

Honorable Mention - Brien Keith, Yellow-crowned Night Heron in Baldwin County

Wildlife

1st Place - Christopher Baker, River Otter in Madison

2nd Place - Loralee Manas, Chipmunk in Huntsville

3rd Place - Christopher Jessee, Black Bear in Saraland

Honorable Mention - Jim Flynn, Gray Squirrel in Albertville

Cold-Blooded Critters

1st Place - Timothy David Huber, Ghost Crab on Dauphin Island

2nd Place - Christopher Baker, Turtles in Madison

3rd Place - Gabe Clements, Spiny Softshell Turtle in Birmingham

Honorable Mention - Arthur James Davis, Bullfrog in Daphne

Bugs and Butterflies

1st Place - Jeff Lynn Payne, Bee in Morris

2nd Place - Cary Bone, Ants in New Market

3rd Place - Christopher Baker, American Lady Butterfly in Huntsville

Honorable Mention - Angela Dothard, Bee in Anniston

Sweet Home Alabama

1st Place - Christopher Baker, Old Red Mill in Albertville

2nd Place - Virginia Mitchell, Fort Morgan in Baldwin County

3rd Place - Brent Eanes, USS Alabama Battleship in Mobile

Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Marie Renevier, Bellingrath Gardens Fountain in Theodore

Nature-Based Recreation

1st Place - Christopher Baker, Exploring Stephens Gap in Jackson County

2nd Place - Keith Bozeman, Kayaking the Tennessee River at Sunset

3rd Place - Keith Bozeman, Kayaker and Bald Cypress on the Tennessee River

Honorable Mention - Elizabeth Marie Renevier, Sunset Bubbles on Magnolia Beach in Fairhope

Shoots and Roots

1st Place - Brad Lackey, Puffball Mushroom in Huntsville

2nd Place - Arthur James Davis, Fly Agaric Mushrooms at Splinter Hill Bog

3rd Place - Caroline Reese Thornton, Mushrooms in Rockford

Honorable Mention - Brad Lackey, Fiddlehead Fern in Mentone

Scenic

1st Place - Edward Townsend, Green Mountain Nature Trail Covered Bridge in Huntsville

2nd Place - Keith Bozeman, Lower Caney Creek Falls in Bankhead National Forest

3rd Place - Joshua Norman Smith, Milky Way Over Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island

Honorable Mention - Virginia Mitchell, Mize Mills Falls in Bankhead National Forest

Young Photographers

1st Place - Killette Joan Brickley (age 10), Green Lynx Spider in Scottsboro

2nd Place - Finn Jerome Larche (age 14), Royal Tern in Baldwin County

3rd Place - Weston Lee Brown (age 11), Wild Turkeys in Gordo

Honorable Mention - Margaret Lamey Singleton (age 16), Soldier Creek in Baldwin County

For more information about the Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest, visit https://www.outdooralabama.com/photocontest.

ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama's natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Learn more at http://www.outdooralabama.com.