We are thrilled to announce the winners of our 2026 Arbor Day Photo Contest!!
The theme was “Tree Patterns”.
Winners:
🏆Elementary: Levi Ripberger
🏆High School: Djuna Albert
Adult Category:
🥇1st Place – Barbara Spellmeyer
🥈2nd Place – Jim Beebe
🥉3rd Place – Jade Tollis
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you so much to everyone who entered! The judges had so much fun reviewing all the entries and reading the captions. Below you can view the photos, and read the photographer’s story behind their photos.
ELEMENTARY AGE GROUP
Winner: Levi Ripberger
“This photo is of the Brealey Oak as seen through a leaf that I found at its base. I chose to photograph this tree because of the symmetry in its branches. I see symmetry in its branches and patterns in the leaf.”
HIGH SCHOOL AGE GROUP:
Winner: Djuna Albert
“This photo is a white pine in the backyard of my house during the first snow of the season. I have always loved witnessing the vibrant colors of the evergreen trees in the winter next the white powder of the snow. When I saw the opportunity to express this kind of beauty through my Canon Rebel I had to take it. There is just something about a white pine being dusted in white snow that touches me.”
ADULT AGE GROUP:
1st Place: Barbara Spellmeyer
“Laced, snowy limbs seem to create a ballet among the branches.”
2nd Place: Jim Beebe
“This photo showcases the effects of winter weather on the trees and really demonstrates how beautiful mother nature can make things.”
3rd Place: Jade Tollis
“This aspen is infected with black canker, a fungal disease caused by the fungal pathogen Cytospora fimbriata. The disease progresses in an elliptical pattern, like ripples ever expanding across the surface of the bark. The wounds on this tree resemble the swirling patterns found in geodes. I feel as if I could walk right through one of these fractal portals and be transported into another realm.”
