Discover the beauty: 2025 Outdoor Alabama photo contest winners

Reading time: 3 minutes

An Otter In The Water
1st Place – Christopher Baker, River Otter in Madison (Outdoor Alabama)

Last week, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announced the winners of the 2025 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest. 

“Alabama is a photographer’s paradise thanks to its wide variety of natural landscapes, native plants and wildlife and outdoor recreation opportunities. 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!”

Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner

More than 2000 images were submitted.

Sponsors of the 2025 photo contest include: 

  • Alabama State Parks
  • Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association 
  • Alabama Tourism Department. 

Each winner will be featured in a traveling exhibit in 2025.

Categories and Winners

Alabama State Parks
1st Place – Jennifer Lynn Grainger, Cheaha State Park Overlook

A Tree On A Rock
2025 Outdoor Alabama State Park winner Jennifer Lynn Grainger, Cheaha State Park Overlook (Outdoor Alabama)

Birds
1st Place – Debra Lucas, Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Alabaster

A Hummingbird Feeding On A Flower
1st Place – Debra Lucas, Ruby-throated Hummingbird in Alabaster (Outdoor Alabama)


Wildlife
1st Place – Christopher Baker, River Otter in Madison

An Otter In The Water
1st Place – Christopher Baker, River Otter in Madison (Outdoor Alabama)


Cold-Blooded Critters
1st Place – Timothy David Huber, Ghost Crab on Dauphin Island

A Crab On The Sand
1st Place – Timothy David Huber, Ghost Crab on Dauphin Island. (Outdoor Alabama)

Bugs and Butterflies
1st Place – Jeff Lynn Payne, Bee in Morris

Close Up Of A Bee
1st Place – Jeff Lynn Payne, Bee in Morris

Sweet Home
1st Place – Christopher Baker, Old Red Mill in Albertville

A Water Flowing Over Rocks Next To A Building
1st Place – Christopher Baker, Old Red Mill in Albertville (Outdoor Alabama)

Nature-Based Recreation
1st Place – Christopher Baker, Exploring Stephens Gap in Jackson County

A Person Standing In A Cave With Light Coming Through The Ceiling
1st Place – Christopher Baker, Exploring Stephens Gap in Jackson County

Shoots and Roots
1st Place – Brad Lackey, Puffball Mushroom in Huntsville

A Mushroom With Steam Coming Out Of It
1st Place – Brad Lackey, Puffball Mushroom in Huntsville. (Outdoor Alabama)

Scenic
1st Place – Edward Townsend, Green Mountain Nature Trail Covered Bridge in Huntsville

54378253116 Beb2Cfe41F K Alabama
1st Place – Edward Townsend, Green Mountain Nature Trail Covered Bridge in Huntsville. (Outdoor Alabama)

Young Photographers
1st Place – Killette Joan Brickley (age 10), Green Lynx Spider in Scottsboro

A Spider On A Flower
1st Place – Killette Joan Brickley (age 10), Green Lynx Spider in Scottsboro

Want to see all the 1st through Honorable Mention winners? Visit the contest Flickr account.

For more information about the Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest, visit https://www.outdooralabama.com/photocontest.

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Pat Byington
Pat Byington
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