Click here to view 2024 Photo Contest Winners!
Contest Guidelines
Open to the public. No entry fee required.
All photographs are to be 8” x 10” and mounted on an 8" x 10" mounting board.
No framed or matted photographs will be accepted.
No photographs with people in them will be accepted
Name, address, telephone number and entry category (see below) must be printed legibly on the back of each photograph submitted.
Photographs may be mailed or delivered to:
Purdue University Cooperative Extension
155 Indiana Avenue, Suite 301
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Photographs may be delivered between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, on or before Friday, January 17, 2025.
Limit of three (3) photographs per person.
Photographs will be judged on composition, use of color and aesthetic value. Decisions of the judges are final.
Entries may be picked up at the Gardening Show after 4:00 p.m. on January 25, 2025, or at the Cooperative Extension Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays between Monday January 27 and Friday February 14, 2025.
Photographs not picked up by 4:30 p.m. on February 14, 2025 will become the property of the Porter County Master Gardeners Association.
Judging Criteria
1. Technical Characteristics (50 points)
a. Focus, sharpness, detail, depth of field (25 points)
b. Color, brightness, contrast, saturation, use of light (25 points)
2. Content & Subject Matter (20 points)
a. Does it have a unique point of view?
b. Does it belong in the category in which it’s entered?
c. Does it follow contest rules?
3. Composition (20 points)
a. What draws the eye?
b. Does it tell a story?
c. Does it have balance and visual impact?
4. Aesthetic Value (10 points)
a. Is it pleasing?
b. Does it have artistic value?
Total: 100 points
Categories
- Flowers alone
- Plants in black and white
- Foliage
- Field of flowers
- Bugs and insects in the garden
- Butterflies and moths in the garden
- Birds in the garden
- Wildlife in the garden
- Fungus in the garden
- Fruits and vegetables in the garden
Prizes
- 1st place for each category, $10 prize
- Best of Show, $100 Gift Card donated by Gary Camera and custom framing by The Great Frame Up, 1303 N Calumet Avenue, Valparaiso, Indiana.
- All 1st Place and Best of Show photos will be displayed during the month of February at The Great Frame Up in Valparaiso.
Entry into this contest gives the Porter County Master Gardeners Association et al the right to use any entry for publicity purposes without further permission or compensation. Artist's name will be listed with any photo used.