Help to tell the story of grasslands and agriculture in our region. Submit a photograph (or four!) to WSU’s Regional Photography Contest, celebrating the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists. We are collecting photographs from farmers and non-farmers, professionals and amateurs, that tell the story of local, grass-based agricultural production in Grays Harbor, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, and Thurston Counties.

We are looking for photographs that demonstrate the rewards and challenges that farmers, farm families, and natural resource grassland managers encounter in their day to day lives. We are interested in photographs that highlight natural resource conservation on working lands, prairie habitat restoration, rural livelihood in grasslands, cultural values connected to grasslands, and more. The intersection of diverse needs and interests is compelling.

Categories

• Wildlife (or more broadly ecosystem services) in prairies/grasslands
• Rural livelihood from grasslands and grazing (including sustainable livestock products linking sustenance to land)
• Traditional knowledge (indigenous or Euro-American) and culture connected to grasslands
• Pastoralist/rancher/grazer women and youth
• Grassland loss
• International

Contest Details

• Participants are invited to submit up to four photographs.
• Photographs will be accepted through November 15th, 2026.
• All submissions must be printed, mounted on foam core, and delivered to the WSU Thurston County Extension office (see below for instructions)
• Digital copies of images need to be uploaded along with the entry form at the link HERE (https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7257kTVeFz3pCnk)
• Additional entry instructions are noted below

Purpose

The contest is designed for educational and artistic purposes through a collaboration of non-profit agricultural education organizations. The mission is to bring greater awareness to farming and farmers in the region, and support farm viability and sustainable agriculture. The intent is to raise public awareness through arts-based education that inspires action and supports local agricultural communities and sustainable natural resource management.

Judging

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of three judges in person at the Annual Grazing Association Dinner in Dinner. This will be an event for grazing and grassland enthusiasts, with refreshments, an engaging review of the entries, and brief comments by a local rancher and local grasslands conservation specialist.

Entry Instructions

The image may have been made in any type of camera, including camera phones. Images may be computer enhanced. The exhibitor of the print must be the original maker of the image. The use of AI software shall be limited to minor repairs, noise reduction, sharpening, etc. Print and digital images are acceptable.

Digital entries may be submitted to and we can print and mount for you: (https://wsu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7257kTVeFz3pCnk)

A print entry must be at least 8” x 10” and up to 16” x 24” in size (including mat, if applicable). Odd-size entries are acceptable, so long as the shortest side is no more than 16” and the longest side is no larger than 24”. Panorama images are an exception to this rule but may not exceed a 12” x 36” measurement. Square prints can be submitted up to 18” x 18”. Images can be commercially mounted or photographers can access a tutorial developed by Olympia Camera Club to learn how to mount on foam core themselves. Minuteman can mount to foam core for reasonable prices, and Nation Photo Lab for order and delivery service can do this too. Both with good quality.

Protecting your prints. For protection of your prints and to keep your images grouped with the entry form, please place them in a bag or package of some kind. Prints must be accompanied by a completed entry form. Please ensure your name, print numbers, and titles match the online form. WSU Thurston County Extension and The Olympia Camera Club will exercise all possible care in the handling and processing of prints for this exhibition. They are not responsible for loss or damage while the prints are in their custody.

The WSU Thurston County Extension Office is located at 3054 Carpenter Rd SE, Lacey, WA, 98503. The office is open to take in photographs from 8am to 5pm Tuesday-Friday. Submissions will be accepted through November 14, 2026.

Picking up your prints. Following the December 13th judging event, selection of photographs for 2026 exhibits will be completed by January 15th. Participants willing to allow their images to be displayed will be notified by that time. Photographers of prints not selected for exhibits will be notified by January 15th. Prints for for “print entries” (not digital entries) may be picked up at the WSU Extension Office between January 20th and January 29th, 2026 (Tu-Fri 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m).

Rights in Use

Use of images submitted to this contest will be strictly limited to the following educational uses and can be modified by the photographer by selecting among use restrictions in the Contest Application. Images will be used for the intended purpose of creating displays to promote the “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists” (IYRP). For this contest, Rights in Use applies to physical exhibits held in Grays Harbor, Mason, Lewis, Pacific, and Thurston Counties. Additional uses if agreed upon by the photographer include: Use in regional and national physical exhibits. Regional or national exhibits would pertain to inclusion in physical exhibits in public spaces, potentially including but not limited to libraries, malls, airports, and city halls. Display would be limited to physical installations. On up to two promotional websites directly associated with the IYRP noted below. Either use will only be exercised after prior discussion with and approval by the photographer.

Digital Use: Websites for Use Upon Approval by Photographer

• Western Region SARE Arts-Based Education Team Webpage: https://extension.wsu.edu/thurston/arts-grasslands-rangelands/
• IYRP Homepage: https://iyrp.info/
• Arts-Based Education Library: https://Grasslandsproject.org

File Storage

Digital files used for exhibits in the Washington counties noted above will be stored in a WSU- managed, password-protected Dropbox account accessible only to the contest organizer (WSU Extension, Stephen Bramwell). Files allowed for regional or national exhibits will be stored in a password-protected library archive at the University of Arizona in their Rangelands Gateway database. Access to this database is restricted to website editors.

Termination

Photographers can terminate rights in use at any time and modify rights in use at any time, within the parameters of use identified in this document, and by mutual agreement with the contest organizer.

Attribution

All works will be attributed to the photographer in a manner that meets the photographer’s specifications for adequate acknowledgement, and fits in a suitable manner such as not to distract from the exhibit.

Additional Uses

No rights in use beyond those described here (including any manner of file or print sharing) is allowable unless confirmed in writing between the contest organizer (WSU Extension, Stephen Bramwell) and the photographer. No use outside those identified here for commercial application or otherwise are allowable.

Acknowledgements

This project is made possible with collaboration among the following organizations, and with funding from the USDA Western SARE Program.