Florida’s Natural Beauty - 2026 Juried Photography Contest & Exhibition

Audubon of Martin County presents a juried photography and video contest for amateur and professional photographers residing in the United States, with all content taken in Florida. Categories are Birds, Wildlife, Flora/Landscape, Creative, Video, and Cell Phone Photography. Accepted photographs must be supplied as museum-quality physical prints for exhibition at the Elliott Museum in Stuart, Florida. The opening reception and awards ceremony is January 21, 2027, followed by public exhibition January 22–February 25, 2027. Awards include $300 Best in Show and category prizes. Exhibited photographs may be offered for sale, with artists receiving 75% of sales.

Florida’s natural beauty: birds, wildlife, flora, landscapes, seascapes, architecture and habitats.

Open to amateur and professional photographers residing in the U.S. All photographs and video content must be taken in Florida. Images may not be created or edited using AI or generative AI. Except in the Creative category, only global adjustments such as overall brightness, sharpening, contrast and saturation are permitted. The Creative category permits treatments, effects, selective masking, changed areas, added elements and other manipulation, but not AI. Birds includes migratory birds wintering in Florida; Wildlife covers non-invasive wildlife; Flora/Landscape includes non-invasive plants, landscapes, seascapes, architecture and habitats. Cell Phone Photography must be still images aligned with the categories and rules; videos belong in the Video category.

Submit up to seven photographs and videos per category; each image or video may enter only one category. Create an OnlineJuriedShows account if needed, upload entries and pay after uploading. Submissions run September 15–December 1, 2026; the listing specifies December 1 at 12:00 AM PST. Non-refundable fees are $20 per uploaded photograph for Audubon of Martin County members in good standing throughout the show, or $25 per uploaded photograph for non-members; membership is verified. Video entries also require payment through OnlineJuriedShows. Digital images must be JPEG, sRGB, 1920 pixels on the long side, 72ppi and no larger than 4MB. Color, black-and-white and monotone are accepted. Photographs previously entered in an Audubon of Martin County Photography Contest are ineligible. Camera-trap photographs are prohibited; photographers must be present in the field capturing live action. Recognizable people require a signed release. No nudity or pornographic content.

Videos must be two minutes or less and may be shot with a camera or cell phone. Upload only a still, screen capture or JPEG from the video to OnlineJuriedShows and pay there. Upload the actual video to Google Drive, WeTransfer, Dropbox, YouTube or a similar platform, give full access to jnelson.audubonofmartincounty@gmail.com, and email the video link to that address.

Acceptance notifications are available in artists’ accounts December 11, 2026. This is not a digital-only exhibit: accepted photographs require tangible museum-quality prints. Final prints must match the juried digital submission without further editing except size, and must contain no signatures, names or text. Acceptable substrates include quality photo, metallic or fine-art paper, canvas, aluminum, wood and acrylic. Professional presentation and industry-standard matting/framing are required. Aluminum, wood, acrylic and gallery-wrap canvas may be displayed without a finished frame; non-gallery-wrap canvas requires a finished frame. Minimum print size is 8 inches on the short side; finished work, including the frame, must not exceed 20 by 24 inches. All work, including metal prints, must have picture-hanging wire; no sawtooth hangers, circular holes or sawtooth-edged rectangular cutouts. Attach the supplied completed identification label to each photograph, including insurance value and whether it is for sale.

Out-of-town accepted photographs must arrive December 13, 2026–January 13, 2027, shipped via FedEx, UPS or USPS to Audubon of Martin County, 4096 SW Bimini Circle S, Palm City, FL 34990. Artists arrange and pay all shipping, prepay round-trip expenses and include a return shipping label; collect shipments are refused. Use reusable carrier-approved packaging sufficient for safe repacking, clearly labeled for return; no plastic peanuts or shredded paper. Local drop-off is January 13, 2027, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., at Audubon of Martin County, 621 SE Palm Beach Road, Stuart, FL 34994. Pickup is March 3 and March 4, 2027, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., at that same Stuart address; out-of-town work is return-shipped the week of March 8, 2027.

Best in Show receives $300; first, second and third place in each category receive $200, $100 and $50 respectively. Honorable Mentions may be awarded at judges’ discretion. Photo sales pay 75% to the artist and 25% to the Museum; the Museum transfers sold work after the exhibit and pays artists directly. Artists retain copyright and grant Audubon of Martin County, HSMC and the Elliott Museum permission to photograph entries for archival purposes, publicity, websites and promotional publications. The organizers disclaim responsibility for loss or damage from fire, theft, vandalism or other causes. Entry constitutes agreement to the prospectus; jury and organizer decisions are final, with no exceptions to deadlines, specifications or rules and no refunds. The January 21 opening reception has a suggested $10 door donation.