You all got wild this year — and you brought your cameras with you.
From quiet moments under the stars to big adventures on the slopes, our 2026 photo contest entries gave us plenty of reasons to stop scrolling and take a closer look. We received hundreds of submissions across five categories, and narrowing the field wasn’t easy for our judges.
Here are the photos that rose to the top. Congratulations to all our winners, and thanks to everyone who participated for helping us see the Midwest outdoors through your eyes.
Grand Prize
Angela Helbling | Taken in Warrenton, Mo.
A day before a major snowstorm last January, Helbling noticed one of the deer that regularly passed through her yard had suffered a terrible injury to one of its back legs. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I teared up,” she says. “I knew she wasn’t going to make it.”
After the storm passed, Helbling’s neighbors spotted several bald eagles flying low over their lake and texted her: “There is a deer carcass on the lake!” She suspected it was the same deer. With her neighbors’ permission, Helbling spent the next three days photographing the scene from sunrise to sunset, often in subzero temperatures.
The challenge was staying hidden while finding a workable angle. She shot from behind trees, a log splitter, and patio furniture, careful not to disturb the eagles.
This winning image captures a particularly dramatic moment. After feeding all alone, one eagle raised its wings “straight up like a warrior” and cried out as another approached. “That other eagle swooped in like lightning,” Helbling says. “A battle ensued.”
While one of our judges described the photo as “a little gruesome,” Helbling sees it differently: “The deep freeze of winter may take life in order to sustain others.”
Nature
First Place
Suzanne Asaturian | Taken in Alto Pass, Ill.
The owners of Rendleman Orchards turned off every light so Asaturian could capture these zinnias in bloom beneath the Milky Way.
Second Place
Suzanne Asaturian | Taken in Carbondale, Ill.
Small lights tucked around the base of these jack-o’-lantern mushrooms make them glow true to their namesake.
Third Place
Cass Johnson | Taken in Oglesby, Ill.
Exposed in more ways than one, roots and rock frame the canyon at the Giant’s Bathtub in Matthiessen State Park.
People
First Place
John Bachman | Taken in St. Joseph, Mo.
A fire eater performs against the backdrop of St. Joseph City Hall at a monthly show hosted by the artist group Pyro Flow.
Second Place
Dan Strieker | Taken in St. Louis, Mo.
Kayaker Mark Fingerhut departs from downtown with the Gateway Arch and Viking Mississippi looming in the background.
Third Place
Hannah Pellett | Taken in southwestern South Dakota
A candid moment plays out amid the otherworldly setting of Yellow Mounds Overlook in Badlands National Park.
Wildlife
First Place
Tim Jackson | Taken in St. Louis, Mo.
A great blue heron hunkers down against the chill as it surveys the winter landscape from its perch.
Second Place
Erica Berry | Taken in Malden, Mo.
“With this stance and stare, it was obvious who was in charge on the ranch,” says Berry of this red bull.
Third Place
George Ramos | Taken in Lampe, Mo.
American bison march across a barren fall landscape at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park on the Missouri-Arkansas border.
Sports
First Place
Scott Straatmann | Taken in Eureka, Mo.
A snowboarder launches off a boulder in a burst of neon-lit powder, proving backcountry hero shots aren’t just for the Mountain States.
Second Place
John Niebling | Taken in Franklin County, Mo.
Kayaker Kevin “Slim” Olson executes a picture-perfect pirouette at Double Drop rapid on the St. Francis River in southeast Missouri.
Third Place
Thomas Ziegler | Taken in Waterloo, Ill.
A young rider and her horse make the turn during barrel racing at the Monroe County Fair in Waterloo.
Anything Goes
First Place
Scott Straatmann | Taken in Wildwood, Mo.
A winter ice storm turns the ski lift at Hidden Valley Ski Resort into a row of frozen seats.
Second Place
Dan Zarlenga | Taken in Silex, Mo.
A composite of images captures the progression of the lunar eclipse over several hours during the night of August 27.
Third Place
Steve Larson | Taken in Wildwood, Mo.
Early morning sunlight shines through the eye of a bike rack at the Meramec River overlook in Bluff View Park.
About Our Prizes
Winners in our 2026 Reader Photo Contest receive the prizes below, plus a one-year subscription to Terrain. All winners will also have their photos displayed at the 2027 Gateway Outdoor Expo on February 13.
The grand prize winner: An inflatable stand-up paddleboard from Ozark River Walkers.
First-place winners: A rechargeable lantern from Nite Ize.
Second-place winners: A pair of polarized sunglasses from Tifosi Optics.
Third-place winners: A pair of Terrain performance socks from DeFeet.