North Alabama’s beauty captured in annual Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest

MONTGOMERY — North Alabama the beautiful.

That is the unofficial consensus of the judges for the annual Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest, hosted by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Tennessee Valley was captured in all its flora and fauna splendor by photographers who won 18 of the total 40 spots – including six first places in the 10 categories. 

“Alabama is a photographer’s paradise thanks to its wide variety of natural landscapes, native plants and wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities,” said ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship. “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 this year.

When the traveling exhibit schedule is finalized, it will be posted on outdooralabama.com. 

Click here to see the winning images

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