Enter the 2022 Outdoors Photo Contest!

You know how pictures paint a thousand words? Well, we believe that photos really tell  the story of the beauty of the Santa Monica Mountains. So, share your photos and tell your story of the mountains by entering the 2022 OUTDOORS Photo Contest – deadline: October 31, 2022.

All photos must be taken within the boundaries of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area during 2022. The cost to enter is $10 per photo or $45 for five photos (maximum number permitted per person). The photographer must be 12 years or older. NPS Employees, Partners and Volunteers are encouraged to enter photos (No cash prizes awarded).

Shortlisted photos will be exhibited at the Anthony C. Beilenson Interagency Visitor Center at King Gillette Ranch from Wednesday, January 4th to Saturday, January 28th. In previous years, we published a calendar to accompany this contest but will not do so this year. For the exhibition, prints (excluding mat) cannot be larger than 11” x 17” or smaller than 7” x 8”. They should be ready to hang when delivered to the Visitor Center for the exhibition.

More info about the exhibition and awards ceremony will follow soon.

The overall winner will be awarded the Sheila Braden Memorial Award. Last year’s winner was Jeff Davidson who submitted this beautiful photo of California Pelicans. Sheila, who worked at the Visitor Center for many years as a National Park Service ranger, was the instigator of the Spirit of the Mountains Photo Contest.

We hope that this award and the OUTDOORS Photo Contest is a fitting way to honor her legacy.

To enter the contest: www.samofund.org/photo-contest