This year’s Reader Photo Contest brought more competitors, and perhaps more variety, than ever before. And we couldn’t get enough.
From misty river mornings to roaring campfires, solo adventures to family getaways, your photos had us itching to grab our own gear and hit the trail.
Choosing the winners was no easy feat — seriously, our judging session nearly turned into a good-natured brawl — but in the end, a few shots rose above the rest. These images don’t just showcase outdoor beauty; they tell stories and stir emotions.
Here’s to the winners — and to the countless ways you bring the outdoors to life.
Grand Prize
Scott Straatmann | Taken in Wildwood, Mo.
Straatmann isn’t sure how many attempts it took to capture this shot of a rider trying a frontside boardslide at Hidden Valley Ski Resort. “Once I had the lights and camera settings where I liked them, I just kept shooting until the rider had the trick landed,” he says. Using a two-light setup, he exposed for the sky and let the strobes handle the rest. “What I like about this image is the cross-lighting on the subject and the silhouette of the lifts in the background,” Straatmann says. He submitted the photo because, as he put it, “It’s not the kind of image you typically see representing the Midwest.” Our judges agreed.
Nature
First Place
Debby Siegel | Taken in St. Clair, Mo.
A misty tree island at the Lost Hill Lake Wedding & Events venue during July’s New Earth Festival.
Second Place
John Taylor | Taken in Gray Summit, Mo.
Morning sun cuts through fast-moving trail fog at Shaw Nature Reserve last November.
Third Place
Tiffany Williams | Taken in Kansas City, Mo.
A milky swath of stars hovers over a roadside field on a drive across Missouri in June.
Sports
First Place
John Taylor | Taken in St. Louis, Mo.
Riders flash past on the back stretch at Gateway Cup’s Giro Della Montagna in August.
Second Place
Carrie Zukoski | Taken in St. Louis, Mo.
Snow and sand make a sticky mess at a Bubba Memorial Cyclocross race at St. Vincent Park last December.
Third Place
Martin Hassel | Taken in Ironton, Mo.
A paddler mid-run at the Missouri Whitewater Championships on the St. Francis River in March.
Wildlife
First Place
Hayden Al Harash | Taken in St. Louis, Mo.
An American bullfrog plays peekaboo among floating plants at Wild Acres Park in May.
Second Place
Suzanne Asaturian | Taken in Carbondale, Ill.
A blue grosbeak tiptoes through the sunflowers on an August morning at McNitt Growers farm.
Third Place
Tim Jackson | St. Louis, Mo.
A beady-eyed grey heron stalks across an icy stream at Forest Park last winter.
People
First Place
Scott Straatmann | Taken in Pacific, Mo.
Shuttling competitors to the top of the hill during a longboarding competition in late August.
Second Place
Lauren Lawson | Taken in Bonne Terre, Mo.
Mittaa Lockos lives in the moment on a girls’ weekend at St. Francois State Park last July.
Third Place
Evangeline Metzger | Taken in Green Bay, Mich.
Smoke in the air paired with the sun’s orange reflection makes an entrancing sight in August.
Anything Goes
First Place
Tim Crawford | Taken in Grafton, Ill.
A mountain of storm clouds creates a portentous backdrop at the Port of Grafton Lighthouse in May.
Second Place
Alex Turley | Taken in Patterson, Mo.
A self-portrait stitched together from 12 seconds of video at Big Creek in Sam A. Baker State Park in February.
Third Place
Thomas Ziegler | Taken in Perry County, Mo.
Vibrant farmland viewed through the stone ruins of a late 18th-century homestead last June.
Staff Picks
A few of our personal favorites that stood out for their creativity and charm.
“Father Chases Son” by Carrie Zukoski
“Blurred Lines” by Scott Straatmann
“Pouncing On Prey” by Suzanne Asaturian
“Shoulder Season” by Tim Jackson
Author: Brad Kovach is the publisher of Terrain.
Top image: By Scott Straatmann.