Festival of the cranes photo contest

About the festival of the cranes photo contest

Every year, Friends of Bosque del Apache invites photographers to submit their favorite Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge photos. Winning photos will be displayed at the Bosque del Apache Visitor Center atrium prior to and through the Festival of the Cranes and throughout the year until the next winners from the Photo Contest are selected.

The contest consists of these five categories:

Sandhill Cranes
Wildlife
Landscapes
People
Comedy

Photo by Pam Dorner

Enter 2026 Photo Contest

Sandhill Cranes

Photographs featuring cranes as the primary subject.

Sandhill Crane Category: 1st Place 2025, Photo by William Wiener

Wildlife

Wildlife other than sandhill cranes.

Wildlife Category: 1st Place, 2025. Photo by Pam Dorner

Landscapes

Images showcasing the refuge landscape.

Landscape Category: 1st Place, 2025. Photo by Charles Vadovic

People

Photographs containing people or evidence of human presence.

People Category: 1st Place, 2025. Photo by Diane Peebles

Comedy

Images that make us laugh or smile.

Comedy Category: 1st Place, 2025. Photo by Monica Cardozo

View All of last year's Winners

contest overview

Contest Dates

Opens July 1, 2026
Submission deadline: October 1, 2026

Entry Fee

$4 per image
Up to 20 entries per photographer

Exhibition & Recognition

Winning photographs will be displayed in the Bosque del Apache Visitor Center Atrium and may be featured on the Friends website, Festival publications, newsletters, and promotional materials.

Submission Requirements

eligible images

Photographs must be taken at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.
Photographs will be accepted only from the original photographer, who must be the sole author and the owner of the copyright for all photos entered.
Panoramic images are not eligible.

ethical photography

Photographers must obey all refuge regulations, gate closures, fences, access restrictions, and traffic signs while capturing images.

Photo by Jacqueline Burke

File Specifications

JPG format only
Maximum file size: 2 MB
RGB or sRGB color space

Permitted Editing

Allowed:

Cropping
Color correction
Black and white conversion
Contrast, brightness, saturation adjustments
HDR processing

Not allowed:

Merging multiple photographs
Adding photographic elements from other images
AI-generated content

To help judges organize entries, files must follow the naming convention below:

Format:
FirstLast + Last Two Digits of Phone Number + Category Letter + Image Number

Category Codes

S = Sandhill Cranes
P = People
W = Wildlife
L = Landscapes
F = Comedy

Example

John Doe

Phone: 555-111-1234

Comedy entries:

JohnDoe34F01
JohnDoe34F02
JohnDoe34F03

Sandhill Crane entry:

JohnDoe34S01

COPYRIGHT AND IMAGE USAGE

Photographers retain ownership and copyright of all submitted images.

Usage Rights

By entering the contest, photographers grant Friends of Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge a non-exclusive right to store, display, publish, and use submitted images, thumbnails, and photographer names for non-commercial promotional purposes without additional compensation.