Winners in three categories — Landscape, Lifestyle, and Wildlife — are eligible for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes, including a spot on a Down East Adventures photo workshop, Down East subscriptions and swag, and publication in the magazine.
Submissions and voting are open through September 16. You may submit as many photos in as many categories as you like; simply repeat the submission form after each submission. The entry fee is $10 per photo. Photographers retain the rights to their work. By entering a Down East photo contest, you accept our contest guidelines. Winners will be notified in September 2026, and their work will be published in the December 2026 issue of Down East.
Contest judges include Down East photo editor Tara Rice, Down East staff photographer Dave Waddell, and Down East art director Mike O'Leary. The judges will select a winner and a runner-up in each category. The contest sponsor, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, will select the winner of its Maine Outdoors Prize, and our readers have voted for a Readers’ Choice winner in each category as well.
By entering this photo contest, you confirm acceptance of the guidelines. Winners will be notified via email in September 2026, and their winning photo will appear in the December 2026 issue of Down East.
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