2023 Friends of Blackwater Photo Contest Winners

A big congratulations to the winners in our 2023 Refuge Photo Contest at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Our winners and honorable mentions are highlighted below. We want to thank everyone who entered our photo contest and who shared their wonderful photos with us!

Click on the thumbnails below to see a larger image.

Adult - Wildlife

  • 1st Place - Reinhardt Sahmel
    "Ring-billed Gull with Catch"
  • 2nd Place - Alessandro Bruno
    "Great-Horned Owl Landing"
  • 3rd Place - Brian Reidy
    "Hey Baby"
  • Scott Warner - Honorable Mention
    "Green Heron Eating a Snack"
  • Guillermo Olaizola - Honorable Mention
    "What’s Up?"
  • Candice Taylor - Honorable Mention
    "Camouflaged Short-Eared Owl"
  • Mark Cohen - Honorable Mention
    "Tasty Tidbit"

Adult - Landscape and Waterscape

  • 1st Place - Grady Byus
    "Maple Stars"
  • 2nd Place - Mark Winter
    "Symmetry"
  • 3rd Place - Robert Fawcett
    "Big Dipper Above Key Wallace"
  • Reinhardt Sahmel - Honorable Mention
    "Pool 1 Winter Sunset"
  • Mark Winter - Honorable Mention
    "Before the Storm"
  • Jennie Hommel - Honorable Mention
    "Blackwater Sunrise"

Adult - Flora and Macro

  • 1st Place - Mark Cohen
    "Gathering Nectar"
  • 2nd Place - Mary Braman
    "I Love the Garden!"
  • 3rd Place - Christy Selagy
    "Fun Fungus"
  • Tamra Zebovitz - Honorable Mention
    "Afternoon’s Nectar"
  • Karen Casique - Honorable Mention
    "Memoria de la Abuela"
  • Barbara Gilbert - Honorable Mention
    "Fall Leafs"