Arkansas 4-H members test technical, artistic skills in annual photography contest
Arkansas 4-H members from 53 counties practiced their creativity and submitted entries to the 2026 Ross Photography Contest, with Catelyn Stearman from Washington County bringing home Best in Show.
“Photography is all around us,” said Kerry Rodtnick, contest coordinator and multimedia specialist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “It’s so easy to take photos these days, but taking good or even excellent photos takes effort and patience.
“Entering contests like the Ross Photography Contest helps young photographers improve their photography by seeing what others are doing and working to make their own photos better and better,” he said.
Entries captured scenes of nature, including landscapes and close-up shots of plants, along with human and animal subjects. 4-H members first submitted their photos at the county level, and those winners were submitted for consideration at the state level.
“The entries have been improving every year, and this year is no different,” Rodtnick said. “Our judges remarked on how tough it was to choose this year.”
Rodtnick said contest judges looked for images that used traditional photography techniques well, and they also considered how hard the photographer needed to work to attain the image.
“They also looked for images that moved them,” Rodtnick said. “That’s the artistic aspect of photography.”
Stearman’s Best in Show photo is a black-and-white close-up of a rusted, antique car that has succumbed to nature, with weeds growing through the fender.
“For the Best in Show image, judges were impressed by the composition and the contrast in the image,” Rodtnick said.
“Her shot definitely tells a story,” another judge said.
2026 Winners
Color — Living
1st: Dream Williamson, Craighead County
2nd: Zipporah Ziokowski, Boone County
3rd: Conner Burden, Independence County
Black and White — Living
1st: Felicity Witcher, Cross County
2nd: Evey Wallace, Sebastian County
3rd: Livia Colvin, Randolph County
Black and White — Nonliving
1st: Catelyn Stearman, Washington County
2nd: Diggs Heath, Garland County
3rd: Andrew Curry, Carroll County
Color — Nonliving
1st: Madison White, White County
2nd: Everett Hutton, Craighead County
3rd: Blythe Miller, Van Buren County
Best in Show
Catelyn Stearman, Washington County
Friendly competition
All winners receive monetary awards from the Arkadelphia-based Ross Foundation, which was established by the late Jane Ross and her mother, Ester Clark Ross. County winners receive $10 each, and state-level winners receive increasing prizes for first, second and third places for each category. State winners are also published on social media, Flickr and the Arkansas 4-H website.
“This contest encourages our 4-H kids to express themselves through photography and try just a little bit harder since they know they’ll be competing against others,” Rodtnick said. “With a state level contest, these young photographers get to see how they stack up against others across the state.”
The Ross Foundation administers a philanthropic grants program and manages more than 60,000 acres of timberland, held for conservation purposes. Jane Ross served as a photographic technician in the Women’s Army Corps in the Army Air Force and later opened a photography studio in Arkadelphia.
Visit the Ross Photography Contest page on the Arkansas 4-H website to learn more.
PHOTO: Woman traveler with camera enjoying a mountain view. (Adobe Stock-#1205421233 │ torjrtrx)
