NCWF Announces 8th Annual Photo Contest Winners
Photographers across the state perfectly captured the beauty and diversity of our state’s natural resources for North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s 8th Annual Wildlife Photography and Videography Contest.
NCWF received nearly 1,000 submissions from photographers and videographers highlighting North Carolina’s wildlife and habitat – from the coast to the mountains. Categories included Critters, Scenes of North Carolina, Pollinators and Insects, and Wildlife Videos and were anonymously presented to a panel of 20 judges to determine who would be this years winners and honorable mentions.
Winning contest photos and honorable mentions will be featured on the Federation’s website, social media accounts, monthly Wildlife Wire newsletter, weekly Butterfly Highway newsletter and quarterly NCWF Journal.
But wait – the fun’s not over yet! Now it’s your turn to join the fun with our second annual People’s Choice Wildlife Photo Contest. You’ll be able to browse through fifty amazing photos selected for this special contest and vote for your top three favorites. Your votes will help us crown the People’s Choice winner, who will be announced on our social media channels! Stay tuned for the opening of the contest!
Contest Winners for 2026
- Critters Winner: Jerry Batchelor
- Critters Honorable Mention: Barbara Case
– - Pollinators & Insects Winner: Alex Dills
- Pollinators & Insects Honorable Mention: Raymond Tice
– - Youth Winner: Josh Purvis
- Youth Honorable Mention: Parker Saunders
– - Wildlife Video Winner: Blaine Winford
- Wildlife Video Honorable Mention: Ryan White
Winning & Honorable Mention Images, Photographer Comments
Winner – Critters: Jerry Batchelor. “I had traveled to eastern NC (Alligator River Wildlife Refuge if you need an exact location) in hopes of photographing some bears and maybe get a good shot of a red wolf. I was standing with my wife looking out over an open area when I caught movement on my left side. The otter was running almost straight towards me trying to get to the canal with his meal. I was able to get six or seven quick shots by the time he disappeared in the water. Sometimes, you just get lucky and happen to be at the right place at the right time. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I was using a Canon R5 with a 100-500 lens.”
Honorable Mention – Critters: Barbara Case. “During a recent visit to Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge this black bear was comfortably relaxing in a field of blackberries. He was obviously very much enjoying his fruit filled meal.”
Winner – Insects & Pollinators: Alex Dills. “What I love about macro photography is that we see all these tiny insects or other small animals every day, but we never really stop or pay them any mind. When you really dive into their world it’s so much more colorful than you can possibly imagine.”
Honorable Mention – Insects & Pollinators: Raymond Tice. “What I enjoy about the NC Wildlife Federation’s photo contest is that it has encouraged me to attempt to do something new, photo wise; in this case, it was taking macro photos of various pollinators that occur in our flower gardens and this was one of the photos that worked out well.”
Winner – Scenes: Anthony Colburn. “This is the lower waterfall in Blowing Rock Stat Park. The pool below the waterfall swirls around the pool under a base of rock. The leaves dropped in the fall follow the current around the pool until they either fall to the bottom of the pool or are swept away by the current. The exposure for the was about one minute to allow the leaves time to travel around the pool.”
Honorable Mention – Scenes: Cole Barlow. “I’d just purchased a new wide angle lens and knew that I wanted to make landscape photographs at one of my favorite state parks (Merchant’s Millpond). As the colors of the warm sun washed over the fall foliage of the swamp, it created a beautiful array of color that I had to capture.”
Winner – Youth: Josh Purvis. “Being able to capture one of my favorite water birds on a rare snowy day close to home was an unforgettable experience!”
Honorable Mention – Youth: Parker Saunders
Winner – Wildlife Video: Blaine Winford. “It had taken awhile for me to pick up indicators that a pelican is about to perform a gular flutter. Up until this point, I had mostly been satisfied with still images of the behavior. I started doing a bit more experimentation with slow motion video, and of course, a light came on.”
Honorable Mention – Honorable Mention: Ryan White. “Captured on the morning of May 3rd at the marshes near Lake Betz. Watching these adorable Spotted Sandpipers bob along the logs and hunt for food was a peaceful way to start the day.”