2026 Adventures in Nature Student Photo Contest
Photograph by Max Tuttle
The Nature Conservancy in Arizona, in partnership with Arizona Highways Magazine, presents the 13th annual “Adventures in Nature” student photo contest! Students aged 13-18 are invited to enter up to two photos that capture Arizona’s beauty and wildlife for a chance to win cash prizes. The contest is open for submissions between March 1st and March 31st, 2026, and the top 10 winners will be announced on a virtual awards ceremony on April 16th, 2026. All contestants will receive a Zoom invitation by email. See last year’s winners here.
Prizes:
1st place — $5,000
2nd place — $2,500
3rd place — $1,000
7 honorable mentions — $250 each
Please view the updated OFFICIAL RULES before submitting entries.
GALLERY
Displaying 301 - 312 of 451
Photo by Emily Flores
Location: Downtown Tucson
Photo by Bryce Nohren
Cropped out unnecessary space and it made the leaf the main focus of the photo. I enhanced the texture and clarity to make the leaf pop. Also, I added a brightness/contrast and vibrance/saturation adjustment layer.
Location: Campo Verde Highschool
Photo by Charlotte Faltis
A worn road leads to a beautiful mountain surrounded by shrubbery and fluffy clouds.
Location: Superstition Mountains
Photo by Charlotte Faltis
A white bird stands near a body of water, revealing its reflection.
Location: Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch
Photo by Ella Ishya
A blazing sky stretching over Saguaro National Park as the sun sinks across the hills.
Location: Saguaro National Park
Photo by Jonah Araiza
Storm clouds, hanging low in the sky, over the two Mittens in Monument Valley. The orange sandstone captured with the shadow of the cloud brushing over them as I took this photo in the afternoon.
Location: Monument Valley
Photo by Darby Lin
Picture of unidentified tree in Flagstaff with wild vines wrapping around it.
Location: Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff
Photo by Darby Lin
A cliff at Oak Creek Canyon in the daytime
Location: Flagstaff
Photo by Jonah Araiza
On a pass through Monument Valley, we stayed the night next to these two rocks, the mittens, and as the sun set behind them, their orange sandstone became a tinted red, and the sky a dark blue. The clouds passed over us, as we had just missed the rain, and before all the light disappeared, I took the photo.
Location: Monument Valley
Photo by Yishu Wang
Shot of the mountain
Location: Mountain View
Photo by Nancy
Flowers shot in Catalina neighborhood.
Location: Catalina
Photo by Ian Polec
A solitary desert tree rises over a still pool its reflection mirroring every branch and blurring the boundary between land and sky
Location: Tucson