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Native Plant Society of Texas

Photo Contest 2026

Thanks for considering our 2026 photo contest! If you’d like to enter our 2026 native plant photo contest, please fill out the form below. Winners will be announced at our 2026 Fall Symposium.

The Rules

Our contest is divided into the 12 Level III ecoregions in Texas. Members may enter one photo in one or all of the ecoregions. Photos may have been taken at any time of year. Photos must have been taken within the ecoregion in which they are submitted, and the subject plant or plants must be native to the ecoregion in which the photo is entered. Photographers must be members of the Society and may only submit their own work. Contestants must submit their entry within the submission window, which is still TBD. Entries will be judged in four categories by a panel of your Society peers (judges are not eligible for contest entry).

Go to Contest Entry

The Judging Criteria

Basic Technique

  • Is focus appropriate for the subject? Is depth of field appropriate?
  • Is it exposed in a way that works for the image?
  • Does the lighting show off the subject well?
  • Is the contrast level appropriate?
  • Is there lighting that would work better for the subject?
  • If the lighting is controlled, is it well controlled?
  • Are the colors accurate and true?

Composition

  • Is the composition skillful and dynamic?
  • Is the image balanced or unbalanced? Is the balance level appropriate? If there is a main center of interest, is it well placed in the frame/rule of thirds?
  • Are there distracting elements in the picture that could be eliminated?
  • Are there too many unrelated elements? Too few elements?
  • Does the composition make effective use of leading lines?
  • Is depth used (or not used) to good advantage?
  • Does the composition make use of repeating forms?

Subject/Interest

  • Does the subject have interesting connotations or associations?
  • Are the colors and patterns effective?
  • Interesting textures?
  • Interesting juxtapositions?

Story/Mood/Showcases Plant

  • How well does the photograph capture or illustrate the plant or plants?
  • Does the image effectively tell a story about the plants or the ecoregion or convey a mood or value?

About the Region

2026 Fall Symposium Logo

This low-elevations region of Texas extends inland from the barrier islands, about 60 or so miles, and stretches from Brownsville to Louisiana. In total, it covers about 9.5 million acres, with a high point of 150 feet in elevation. More than 1000 species of plants can be found in this region. On the southern end, species more common in Mexico (such as Sabal mexicana) and Central America occur.

The barrier islands provide us with dune systems, and clay flats to the inland side, which have species found in these areas alone. Many plants here, such as Ipomoea pes-caprae (beach morning glory), can be found throughout tropical regions of the globe. I’ve encountered the same species on the beaches of Guam.

Once inland, vast marshes and wet prairies occur. Occasionally, oak (Quercus fusiformis) groves can be found. Common grasses include species of Bothriochloa, Paspalum, and Sporobolus; eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides); and switchgrass (Panicum species). Many rivers and creeks cut through the Gulf Prairies, and along these riparian areas various species of trees, Sabal minor, and other plants adapted to clay soils can be found. Due to overgrazing, farming, and fire suppression, woody species such as mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) and huisache (Acacia farnesiana), and invasive species such as chinaberry (Melia azedarach), Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum) have increased and displaced our native flora.

Source: Wildflowers of Texas by Michael Eason