National Forest Week™ Photo Contest

In celebration of National Forest Week™, the National Forest Foundation is hosting a week-long photo contest: The National Forest Week™ Photo Contest.

The contest will open on Monday, July 8, 2024 and close at midnight (MT) on July 14, 2024. Judges and prizes for the 2024 contest will be announced closer to the contest.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 National Forest Week™ Photo Contest!

National Forest Week™ 2024

Join us in celebrating the importance of forests and grasslands. Through a growing movement of passionate voices, we are highlighting how special and vital these lands are for our freedom and quality of life during National Forest Week™, July 8-14, 2024. Click here to learn more.

Photo Contest Categories

Landscape

Photo by Jessica Hubbard

Photos submitted in the landscape category should not feature people.

Recreation

Photos submitted in the recreation category should feature people enjoying National Forests or recreation equipment (tent, canoe, etc.).

Youth Photographers

Photo submitted in this category should be taken by an individual ages 18 and under.

Judging Criteria

Submissions will be judged on their composition, naturalism, creativity, and connection to personal experience.

Composition – Judges will look for compositions that skillfully use line, shape, form, texture, pattern, color and space.
Naturalism – Photos showcase the natural beauty of the subject in its natural environment.
Creativity – Photos provide a unique perspective on subject matter and show innovation and thoughtfulness from the photographer.
Connection to personal experience – Photos provide insight into how the photographer or their friends, family, or community experiences National Forests.

Use these questions to help guide you in connecting your photos with your personal experience:

How do you enter Forest Mode?
How do you feel when you enter Forest Mode?
What comes to mind when you switch off the hustle and bustle of your daily routine and switch to a slower pace in the forest?
Who are the people you enter Forest Mode with? What do you do together?
What does entering Forest Mode mean to you?

Additional Requirements:

Photos must be taken in a National Forest or Grassland.
Photos should be at least 1-2 MB. We prefer photos without watermarks.
Have fun!

What Does a Photo that Shows Connection to Personal Experience Look Like?

This year we added “Connection to Personal Experience" as one of the four main evaluation criteria for the National Forest Week™ Photo Contest to encourage participants to capture candid moments of appreciation for National Forests and Grasslands. There are so many ways these public lands are beautiful. We want to know through your photos how you experience the beauty of these public lands.

Here are some examples of photos that demonstrate connection to personal experience.