2025 Blue Hills Photo Contest
The Blue Hills is a natural gem in our backyard… providing habitat for animals, birds and insects… and an amazing natural haven that ~250,000 people enjoy every year.
By entering this year’s Blue Hills’ Photo Contest, you’ll help showcase why so many people love the Blue Hills… and why all of us need to help care for it.
You can enter three photos at no cost and have the opportunity to win great prizes in one of our five categories.
- Choose your own adventure. How do you enjoy your time in the park?
- Be Kind! Have you seen someone being kind to visitors, park staff, or the plants and animals that call the Blue Hills home? Show us!
- What Lives in the Blue Hills? This includes plants, animals, and insects in the park.
- Under 12 age group. We encourage young photographers to show us how they see the park in all its glory.
- 13-17 age group. What does the park look like from a teen’s perspective? We want to know!
Photo submission deadline: Thursday, September 30 at 5 pm. See the rules below.
Photo Credit: “Paddling on Ponkapoag Pond,” by Shawn Szturma of Arlington
NEW in 2025--Traveling exhibit!
In January 2026, Milton Public Library will kick off a traveling exhibit of the prize-winning photos from the 2025 contest. In February the exhibit will move to the Randolph Intergenerational Community Center. We are working on scheduling stops in Canton, Braintree, Dedham, and Quincy as well.
What a way to showcase the beautiful Blue Hills!
Instructions and Rules
- Applicants may submit up to three (3) photos until Thursday, September 30, 2025, at 5:00 pm.
- All photos must be taken in or of the Blue Hills Reservation.
- Photos will be approved within 7 days of submission.
- Once approved, photos will be posted for public voting online. Voting begins October 1, 2025.
- Prizes will be awarded for the top three submissions in each category.
- Voting continues until 5:00 pm on Friday, October 31, 2025.
- To enter or vote in the contest, you must complete a short online registration.
Prizes
Three prizes will be awarded in each category. Stay tuned for details on prize packages!
Contest Deadline
Submissions must be received by 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 30, 2025.
Photo Eligibility
- Photos that have been submitted to a previous Friends of the Blue Hills contest are not eligible.
- If the photo includes people, written permission of the subjects must be available upon request.
- Friends of the Blue Hills reserves the right to disqualify any photo or contestant for any reason.
- All dogs in photos should be on a leash, in accordance with park rules.
Terms
By submitting your photographs, you agree to allow Friends of the Blue Hills to use the images in the organization’s educational materials, lectures, publications, and nonprofit promotional materials. This may include a Friends of the Blue Hills calendar, note cards, social media posts, traveling art exhibit, and other formats. Whenever possible, the photographer will be credited.
You also give permission to Friends of the Blue Hills to submit your photo(s) to newspapers and web publications (with credit to you as the photographer). By submitting the photos and signing the submission form, you certify that the image(s) submitted were taken by you and that you have not used part or all of an image taken or owned by another individual, organization, or corporation. You also certify that you have the permission of any people who are clearly visible in the photo, especially children. Any photos submitted by children who are under age 18 years old as of the beginning date of the Photo Contest must have entered with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Friends of the Blue Hills agrees not to transfer, license, or sell reproduction rights for your photographs.
