Recognizing the value pollinators provide to humans and our ecosystem, Penguin Court, a preserve of the Brandywine Conservancy, and the Westmoreland Pollinator Partners, a consortium of over two dozen gardens in Westmoreland County that promote and protect pollinators, are pleased to announce the sixth annual Pennsylvania Pollinator Photo Challenge.
Open to the public, this contest accepts submissions from people of all ages.
Images must include a pollinator found and photographed in Pennsylvania, such as bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, moths, or wasps in any of their life stages. Photos of people hand-pollinating plants will be considered, too; however, the person must provide written consent if they are identifiable in the image. Please do not include photographs of pollinators taken in conservatories, butterfly houses, and the like. We want to promote native pollinators.
A person may submit a maximum of three entries, which must be submitted electronically by August 2, 2026. First, second, and third place winners, as well as honorable mentions, will be announced at the “Monarchs, Milkweed, and More” event on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier. Additionally, a first-place prize will be awarded to the person who takes the best photograph of a monarch butterfly, in any of its life stages, since Westmoreland Pollinator Partners have set a goal to establish 250 new Monarch Waystations in the Laurel Highlands this year.
Additional rules and regulations, judging criteria, and more may be found below.
Photo Contest Rules and Regulations
- Include your name, address, email, and phone number with your submission, plus the approximate date and location of where the photo was taken. The photo must have been taken in Pennsylvania. Please do not include photographs of pollinators taken in conservatories, butterfly houses, and the like.
- A parent/guardian permission form must be submitted with each child’s entry. Access the form by clicking here.
- Submitted photos must be named in the following format: LastName-FirstName_Submission#. Example: Doe-Jane_Submission1. Due to the volume of entries, staff cannot take time to rename submissions.
- High-resolution images are recommended (at least 1MB in size, max 20 MB).
- The photo must be in its original state and cannot be altered in any way, including but not limited to removing, adding, reversing, filtering, or distorting subjects within the frame. Cropping and modest adjustments to brightness, saturation, and contrast are permitted.
- Photographs with watermarks will not be accepted.
- All photos must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, August 2, 2026. Submissions will not be accepted once the deadline passes.
- A maximum of three entries is permitted per person.
- Entries must be submitted as a PNG or JPG file via this Google form.
- Photos must include a pollinator, in any of its life stages, photographed in Pennsylvania. Suggested subjects include bees, beetles, butterflies, flies, hummingbirds, moths, wasps, or even people hand-pollinating plants. A person must provide written consent if they are identifiable in the submitted image(s).
- Entries will be judged by three representatives of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art and/or Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and/or Westmoreland Photographers Society.
- By entering the contest, entrants agree that photos submitted can be used by Penguin Court, Brandywine Conservancy, and Westmoreland Pollinator Partners for marketing and educational purposes, royalty-free. Photo credit will always be given.
- First, second, and third place winners will be announced at the “Monarchs, Milkweed, and More” event on Saturday, August 15, 2026 at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Ligonier. Honorable mentions will be shared, too. Additionally, a first-place prize will be awarded to the person who takes the best monarch butterfly photograph.
Judging Criteria
All photos will be judged based on the contest theme: Pennsylvania Pollinators and will include Relevancy, Originality, Impact, and Photo Quality. Each criterion has a maximum score of 25 points. The maximum score for any photo is 100 points. The three photos receiving the highest scores will place, while the photograph with the highest score in the monarch butterfly category will place.
- Relevancy (25 points): Rank the photo’s relevancy to the contest theme
- Originality (25 points): Rank the photo’s originality and creativity
- Impact (25 points): Rank the photo’s emotional impact
- Photo Quality (25 points): Rank the photo’s quality for clarity, focus, and technical details
Prizes
- 1st Place = $100 cash
- 2nd Place = $75 cash
- 3rd Place = $50 cash
- 1st Place Monarch Butterfly Category = $100 cash
Prize Sponsors
- Discover Westmoreland
- Penguin Court