ENTER AND VOTE!
Sunday, March 1 at 9 a.m.
through Tuesday, March 31 at 5 p.m.
A Fundraiser for Vital Projects at Sonoma County Regional Parks,
including New Trails, Youth Programs and Climate Action projects
In celebration of more than 60 beautiful Sonoma County Regional Parks, the Sonoma County Parks Foundation is hosting our third annual spring 2026 photo contest as a fundraiser to benefit Regional Parks.
Share your favorite landscape, wildflower or wildlife photos taken in any Regional Park. All proceeds directly benefit these beloved local parks! Plus, top photos will win exciting prizes and will be featured in our 2027 calendar!
Share your favorite landscape, wildflower or wildlife photos taken in any Regional Park. All proceeds directly benefit these beloved local parks! Plus, top photos will win exciting prizes and will be featured in our 2027 calendar!
Winning photos will be featured on the Sonoma County Parks Foundation website, newsletters and social media. Top winning photos will be featured in our 2027 calendar! The contest begins Saturday, March 1 at 9 a.m. and ends Monday, March 31 at 5 p.m. We welcome entries from any resident or visitor in Sonoma County, regardless of skill level or experience. We will accept the following submissions of photos taken in any of Sonoma County Regional Parks. For a full list of Regional Parks, visit www.sonomacountyparks.org.
We will have two categories of winners. "People's Choice" winners will be selected based on popular votes through the contest website . "Judges' Choice" winners will be selected by a panel of distinguished judges. Learn more about our judges and the rubric for judging below.
- Park Wildlife: Send us your best photos of wildlife, including deer, otters, birds and other wild inhabitants of Sonoma County. Please be respectful of wildlife when taking photos. (See these tips from the National Audubon Society about ethical animal photography: audubon.org/get-outside/audubons-guide-ethical-bird-photography)
- Park Views and Vistas: Share your photos of beautiful sunsets, scenic views, spectacular coastlines, wildflowers and more taken at any regional park.
- No photos showing people’s faces or off-leash dogs accepted.
- Submissions produced with the assistance of drones or generated or altered by AI are not acceptable.
We will have two categories of winners. "People's Choice" winners will be selected based on popular votes through the contest website . "Judges' Choice" winners will be selected by a panel of distinguished judges. Learn more about our judges and the rubric for judging below.
Winning photos will be features in our 2027 Spring Into Parks Calendar
Want a guaranteed spot in the calendar? Reserve a date to feature your photo! Choose a meaningful day—such as a birthday, anniversary, or other special occasion—and celebrate with a photo of a favorite park, trail or other relevant image. Your photo will appear on the date you select. Simply submit your photo, choose an available day, and complete payment. Dates are first come, first served; once reserved, a date is no longer available. Photos must feature scenery or wildlife only (no faces, and no pets off leash).
Take a look at last year's winning photographs - Click image to view larger and in format.
Judge's Choice Winners
People's Choice Winners
Thank you to our Photo Contest Sponsors
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2026 Photo Contest Prize Donors Coming Soon!
Meet our Judges
Alex Glavtchev
Site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexg_imagery/ I was born in Bulgaria and moved to the U.S. as a teenager, eventually settling with my family in the South Bay. I attended UC Davis, where I earned an undergraduate degree in Physics, and later completed a Master’s in Physics at San Jose State University. It was at UC Davis that I met my wife, and together we decided to relocate to Sonoma County to raise our children in a smaller, nature-filled community. Professionally, I’ve worked in various high-tech roles and currently work as a software engineer at Keysight in Santa Rosa. I’m currently the admin and a judge for Keysight’s internal monthly employee photo contest. These opportunities have deepened my connection to the photography community and continue to inspire my own work. Outside of work, I’m passionate about hiking, swimming, playing soccer, and, most of all, photography. I’m completely self-taught and have spent years improving my craft by learning from YouTube creators and exploring photography concepts and techniques. My focus is on intimate nature photography, but I enjoy mixing it up with landscapes and urban scenes to challenge myself creatively. |
Kathryn Koh
Photography is a powerful skill, and I have been a student of it for as long as I can remember. Fortunately for me photography was my father’s hobby, and I grew up with access to a dark room and a father to teach me the physics of light. I focus my work on portraits, both people and animals. I also enjoy action and travel photography. Today’s cameras are so easy and powerful that anyone can take a good picture. The most important thing to taking valuable pictures is to capture what you love, what you want to remember and what you want to share with others. Happy shooting. 
|
Ben Byrne
Sites: gallery.byrnecreative.com, instagram.com/byrnecreativephotographyBorn and raised in the Midwest, I relocated to Santa Rosa in 2016 after a series of chapters in places ranging from Massachusetts to New Mexico. Although my interest in photography spans several decades, it was the move to Sonoma County that sharpened my focus and inspired a more dedicated and deliberate pursuit of the medium. I am primarily drawn to the landscapes of the North Bay, though my work also reflects a broader curiosity about the natural world beyond it. From wild coastlines and quiet inland trails to distant places and encounters with wildlife, my approach is guided by a desire to capture not just a scene, but the atmosphere and emotional resonance of a moment | |||
