Photography Contest | District 8 4-H Youth Development

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Event Information

Deadline: Check with your County Extension Agent. Deadlines vary by county.
County entries will be submitted by a method set by your County Extension Office.
District entries will be submitted through 4-H Connect.

District entries registration dates: March 3, 2025-April 4, 2025

Photos entered at District must qualify at the county level first!

Display Date: Photos will be on display online by April 26, 2025

Purpose:
The Texas 4-H Photography Contest encourages self-expression and allows youth to demonstrate skills learned in the area of photography, including the use of photographic equipment and process of photographs.

Objectives:

To develop life skills in composition, light, story line, posing, and awareness.
To gain knowledge about cameras, camera settings, photography dimensions and resolution.
To encourage 4-H members to use photography as a meaningful communication tool in their lives.
To provide photography project showcase opportunity for 4-H members.
To continue to share the message of 4-H.
To utilize photographs which can promote and strengthen the 4-H program.

2025 D8 Photography Contest Information:

Rules & Guidelines (includes: Rules, Category Descriptions, Judging Criteria, and Score Sheet) PDF MS WORD
Description of Categories
Judging Criteria
Score Sheet MS WORD PDF

Texas 4-H Photography Contest Website

Categories: (New)

***NEW FOR 2025***
Categories will be broken down per age division as follows: (Descriptions Below-will follow the descriptions provided below)

Junior Age Division 3 Categorie
- Animals – Domestic/Wildlife
- Plant/Landscape/Nature
- People
Intermediate Age Division 6 Categories
1. Animals – Domestic/Wildlife
2. Plant/Landscape/Nature
3. People
4. Details/Macro
5. Elements of Design
6. Catch All
Senior Age Division All 18 Categories

Category Description	What is NOT Allowed	Examples
ANIMALS – DOMESTIC Photos focusing on the various animals that have been tamed and made fit for a human environment. To be considered domesticated, the animal must have their behavior, life cycle, or physiology systemically altered as a result of being under human control for many generations.		Chickens Cows Dogs/Cats Geese/Ducks (domestic use) Hamsters Horses Pigs Sheep/Goats
ANIMALS – WILDLIFE Category focuses on animals not tamed or domesticated and commonly found in the wilderness or the bodies of water throughout the country and world. Photos can be of wildlife in nature, zoos, and/or petting zoos.	Photos taken through glass.	Birds Deer Elephants Snakes Whales
CATCH-ALL Photos that do not fit into one of the other categories.	A duplicate photo also entered in another category.	Painting with light Polaroid image & emulsion transfers Still-life Flat-Lay Photography
DETAILS & MACRO Getting in close is the name of the game for this category. The goal is to zoom in close on an object to see its finer details or to make small objects appear life-sized or larger that we do not normally get to see with the naked eye.		Insect Eyes Veins on leaf Reflection in water droplet etc.
DOMINANT COLOR (NEW) Photos with a dominant color. The dominant element in the image must be a specific color, such as red, yellow, blue, white, black, white, green, etc.	Black & White photos and duotones.	Bowl of lemons, in a yellow bowl, on top of a yellow table covering, with a bright yellow tone sunlighting on it.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN Images use of graphic elements of design. Photos that showcase line, shape, pattern, form, texture, perspective, etc. Photo can consist of any subject matter.	Digital creations or graphic designs made in commercial programs such as Photoshop, InDesign, or Illustrator.	Line Pattern Perspective Shape
ENHANCED A single photo that has been technically manipulated to be an abstract, panoramic, stitched or composite image. Other variations are allowed as well.		Photoshop composites and creations Images greatly manipulated with a variety of filters Photos with artistic borders Photos stitched into a panoramic
FOOD Category is a still life specialization of photography, aimed at producing attractive photographs of food for use in such items of advertisements, packaging, menus and/or cookbooks.	Photos of alcoholic beverages	Cakes/pies, Easter eggs, fruits and place settings, ingredients, sandwiches, Thanksgiving dinner, etc.
LANDSCAPE & NATURE (NON-ANIMAL) The focus of this category includes landscapes, outdoor scenics, nature images, sunsets, urban landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, and farms. Images focus on the beauty of the outdoors.	.Photos which primary subject is wildlife or person	Landscapes/Gardens Scenics Outdoors
LEADING LINE This image composition technique features lines that draw the viewer’s eye from point A to point B, which is the primary subject		A river that begins in the foreground and draws your attention to a photogenic bridge in the background.
LONG EXPOSURE Also known as time-exposure or slow-shutter, this technique involves using a long-duration shutter speed. It can be used to sharply capture stationary elements of an image while blurring, smearing, or obscuring the moving elements. It is also used in low-light conditions.		Fireworks Moving water Light trails, Milky Way Light painting Night or low-light conditions etc.
MOTION / ACTION The capture of movement within a single photo. The subject appears stopped or “frozen”		Ferris wheel spinning Sporting Events Horse running across field/pasture
PEOPLE Photos focus from all walks of life, parenting and family, children, babies, models/fashion, sports, and couples. All individuals in the photos mush have provided consent and permission as a subject. If requested, a release will be needed from the photographer and the subject.		Babies Families Kids Portraits Models/Fashion
PLANT/FLORA Photos of interesting, unique, and beautiful flowers and flora. Photography can occur outdoors or indoors. Photo subject should be that of a single flower, plant, bush, tree, etc. Large collections of plant/flora should be considered for entry into the Nature & Landscape category.		Rose Upward shot of tree
REFLECTIONS (NEW) Focus on capturing reflections in various environments, such as water, mirrors, glass, or metallic surfaces. Highlight the symmetry and intriguing visual effects that reflections create, from serene landscapes mirrored in a lake to bustling cityscapes in puddles or building facades.
SHADOW/SILHOUETTE A silhouette is an outline that appears dark (typically a single color) with little or no details/features against a brighter background. Recording patterns of light and shade for a desired effect or emphasis is the definition of a shadow. The silhouette or shadow must be the primary subject and focus of the image.	Reflections	Shadows/silhouettes of: People Plants Animals Structures Architectures Natural Structures
TRANSPORTATION (NEW) Capture the essence of travel. From bustling city streets with cars and buses to serene rural scenes featuring bicycles and boats, this category celebrates the diversity of transportation methods that connect and move us through life		Examples: bustling urban streets, serene bicycle paths, busy waterways, trains, single vehicles, and even rockets!
THEME-PATRIOTISM (NEW) Showcase images that reflect national patriotism. Capture symbols, ceremonies, and landscapes that embody the spirit of our country, from flag displays and national monuments to patriotic events and celebrations.	Photos manipulated by software

Judging Criteria

Each photograph will be evaluated against the following set of criteria. Based on total points awarded for each photograph, the participant will be awarded a blue, red, or white ribbon. The criteria for evaluating the photographs will be:

IMPACT	(Max Points: 15)	Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. There can be impact in any of the judging elements.
CREATIVITY	(Max Points: 15)	Creativity is the original, fresh, and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought.
TECHNICAL	(Max Points: 25)	Technical is the quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing, which includes the following aspects: Allowable amounts of retouching and adjustments (removal of red eye, cropping, minor straightening) Sharpness and correct color balance. Lighting, which includes the use and control of light. The use of lighting whether natural or man-made and its proper use to enhance the image. Posing and capturing of the image
COMPOSITION	(Max Points: 20)	Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker.
SUBJECT MATTER	(Max Points: 15)	Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told (i.e. category the photo is entered into) in an image. Subject matter also includes the center of interest for the photograph or where the maker wants the viewer to stop and they view the image.
STORYTELLING	(Max Points: 10)	Story Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image.

Awards

Blue, red, and white ribbons will be awarded to each photograph that is not disqualified.

Champion & Reserve in each category. The photo with the highest point value in each category in each age division will be awarded as the Champion of their respective category. The photo with the second highest point value in each category in each age division will be awarded as the Reserve Champion of their respective category.

Best of Show. Best of Show awards will be given to one photo in each age division. The Champion photo from each category will be considered for the Best of Show award.