"THROUGH THE LENS" CENTRAL VALLEY PHOTO CONTEST
"Through The Lens" - Central Valley Photo Contest
Show us how you see our home, the Central Valley, through the lens of your camera. We invite photographers of all levels to share their unique perspective in our photo contest. All photos must be taken in California's Central Valley, which includes the foothills up to an elevation of 2,500'.
Three Categories - One Region
Contestants may submit ONE IMAGE FOR EACH CATEGORY - up to three images total. Each category is judged independently. Please feel free to enter all three categories. Please see the requirements below.
Images will be judged by professionals from Horn Photo alongside guest judges from Spectrum Art Gallery Fresno, evaluating each entry on technical quality, composition, relevance to category and how authentically the image represents the Central Valley.
What You Can Win
Top 10 Each Category
Wins an 11x14" professional print of their image, plus their photo displayed in our gallery exhibit.
Category Winner - 3 Total
Wins a $100 Horn Photo gift card, a 16x20" shadow mounted professional print ready to hang on their wall
People's Choice Award
Attendees of the June 25th Artist's Reception can vote on their favorite image. The winner will receive a $200 Horn Photo gift card.
Artist's Reception
The top 30 finalists and their guests are invited to a special Artist's Reception on June 25th at 7:00 PM at Horn Photo - An evening celebrating your work and our community.
The Rules
We've kept the rules simple so you can focus on making great images. Here's what you need to know:
Allowed
•Original images taken by the person submitting
•Taken anywhere in the California Central Valley including foothills under 2,500' elevation
•Images taken within the last 12 months
•Basic editing: exposure, contrast, color balance, noise reduction, sharpening, cropping
•Conversion to black and white
•Family friendly content
Not allowed
•Composite images (elements added from other photos)
•AI generated imagery or AI added visual elements
•Watermarks (our judges must not know who submitted the image - we will give you photo credit when the judging is completed)
Submitting Your Images
Use the QR code below, or on the contest flyer. You will need to fill out your name, the title of your image, and your email address (so that we may contact you if you win). There is an space to write something about your image, if you choose to do so.
Technical requirements:
Make sure your files meet these specs before submitting:
Format: JPEG
Long side: Minimum 3,000px
File size: Maximum 10 MB
Dates to Remember:
June 15, 2026: Submission Deadline. No entries accepted after midnight.
June 20, 2026: Winners announced. Top 30 semifinallists and category winners revealed on hornphoto.com, Facebook and Instagram
June 25, 2026: Artist's Reception. 7:00 - 8:00 PM at Horn Photo. Gallery exhibit of top 30 photos. Finalists, family and friends welcome. People's Choice award voted on that night.
