Images showcasing a close-up of a colorful hummingbird, a woman painting in a sunlit garden, two white egrets standing in a river, an old lighthouse flanked by a purple-blue sky and a dog swimming through the water as the sun rises were selected as the winners of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s 2026 Photo Contest.

More than 200 people submitted just over 300 images to the contest from mid-January to mid-April. Applicants mostly came from Delaware, but seven jurisdictions in all were represented, including Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia and even California.

While DNREC has historically held a number of different photo contests across different programs, the agency opted in 2025 to combine them into one grand competition. That proved to be a smashing success, receiving hundreds of entries, with the top five unveiled during the Delaware State Fair.

For 2026, the best images were again presented to the public in the DNREC Building at the fair by Gov. Matt Meyer and Secretary Greg Patterson, this time on July 30.

The categories were the same as the year before: People Enjoying Nature, Watersheds: Landscapes and Waterways, Wildlife and Aquatic Life, and Hunting and Fishing. The judges also selected the best photograph taken by someone younger than 18, bringing the total number of honorees to five.

Images were judged by a panel of artistically inclined Delawareans based on how well they met the competition criteria of visual effectiveness, originality/creativity, universal appeal and message/theme.

Each winner earned a $500 gift card, two Delaware State Parks daily passes, a gift bag and an award certificate, and the 14 entrants named honorable mentions received gift bags and certificates as well.

Outdoor Delaware connected with each of the talented shutterbugs to learn what inspired them and what it means to be selected.

People Enjoying Nature

This self-explanatory category received 54 entries showcasing people kayaking, smelling flowers, surfing, walking on the beach and just being out in nature.

Judges selected as their favorite “Spring” by Newark resident Vincente Pineda, who earned an honorable mention in 2025 for his image of two people watching the fountain at Nemours Estate through a field of flowers.

He submitted three images to the 2026 contest, with his snapshot of a woman painting in a garden on a sunny day being selected by the judges as one of the very best. Around the woman are flowers, grasses and a wooden arbor, while a canvas on which she paints the pleasant scene stands in front of her.

Pineda has had a passion for nature and photography his entire life, leading him to launch his own photography business in 2024. He took the snapshot during the Newark Arts Alliance’s Garden Tour in the spring of 2025 and knew right away it was a memorable one.

“As soon as I pressed the shutter, I said, ‘This, this is the image. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this photo, but I’ll make it worth it.’ And that is such a beautiful feeling,” Pineda said. “This happens every time I’m capturing someone or something. There is always that moment when I say, ‘This is the one,’ and would you like to know something, that photograph was the one, the one getting me the 2026 winner in the category of People Enjoying Nature.”

Watersheds: Landscapes and Waterways

Eighty snapshots were submitted for this category, which is meant to highlight the state’s natural beauty at any time of year. Particular emphasis is placed on light, color, composition and balance, traits spectacularly embodied by Milton resident Bill Cheadle’s image “Harbor of Refuge.”

Taken near sunset on a cruise in the Delaware Bay, the image features the Harbor of Refuge lighthouse, which is located about two-thirds of a mile off the coast of Cape Henlopen State Park’s The Point. The towering structure looms over the rocks and water, while a purple-blue sky in the background contrasts with it.

Cheadle has delighted in snapping images for decades, with a particular interest in landscapes and natural lighting. He enjoys documenting his experiences through photography, something he’s been able to devote more time to since his recent retirement.

Like so many, he finds venturing out into the wilderness, whether at the beach or in the woods, to be a pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

“My shot of Harbor of Refuge was taken from a sunset cruise on one of those classic summer days where the weather kept changing and thunderstorms were a threat before and after the cruise,” Cheadle said. “The time of day and lighting effects were exceptional for photography. I’ve always loved lighthouses and was happy for the opportunity to capture this historic and iconic structure in these dramatic conditions.”

Wildlife and Aquatic Life

A vibrant photograph of a hummingbird was picked as the winning image out of a whopping 139 submissions for this category, which was designed to focus solely on the mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and more that call Delaware home with no people included.

“Ruby-Throated Hummingbird” by Jerry am Ende is alive with color, from the blue-green tint of the bird’s body feathers to the bright orange-red on its neck to the pink of the flowers it sips nectar from. The image was taken in the Pike Creek area where am Ende lives.

He got his start in photography with his high school newspaper and yearbook in the early 1960s and has continued to pursue that passion, earning a number of awards for nature photography over the years. Being selected as a winner in the DNREC Photo Contest is just the latest feather in his cap.

“It is a huge honor to have one of my images named an award winner in a state-wide photo contest,” am Ende said. “The affirmation that a photograph of mine is recognized as a winner is its own reward. Only on very rare occasions have I ever sold any of my photographs.”

Hummingbirds are among his favorite subjects to photograph. He captured this little bird’s likeness with a Canon R5 Mark II mirrorless camera equipped with a Canon RF 100-500mm lens.

Hunting and Fishing

Designed to showcase classic outdoor recreation, this category drew 24 entries, with Magnolia resident Fred Waski winning for his photograph “First Retrieve of the Morning.”

In it, his son’s dog, 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever Creek, emerges from the water carrying a wounded duck in his mouth. Ducks float calmly on the water behind Creek, while streaks of orange and yellow from a rising sun contrast with a gray sky and are reflected on the water.

Waski entered the contest largely on a whim, not expecting his photograph would be selected by the judges. While he has little experience in photography and simply used his iPhone to snap the image in the spur of the moment, he felt the resulting picture perfectly captures his favorite aspects of waterfowl hunting.

“Spending time in nature with my family is the best thing in the world. Being in the outdoors brings a calm to me,” he said. “I was lucky enough to capture a picture of what I saw that morning, but as most know who spend time outdoors, we see things like this all the time. To me I’m not sure there is anything prettier than watching the sun come up over a marsh while sitting in a duck blind.”

Youth

Finally, judges selected the best image by a minor out of the nine submitted. Titled “Egrets” and taken by 13-year-old Emma Serbinski of Frederica, it’s a pleasant picture of a snowy egret and a great egret wading in the water at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.

Emma, who has been taking photography classes for the past two years, decided to enter the contest after an ad for it called to mind a recent trip to the refuge.

She’s especially fond of Delaware’s coast and the wildlife that can be found there.

“The natural world matters to me because there are so many species and habitats to explore and learn about. We only have one Earth, and caring about it matters a lot,” she said.

DNREC’s third annual photo contest is expected to begin accepting submissions in January, so stay tuned.

Related Topics:  fun, hunting, landscape, nature, outdoor delaware, people, photo contest, watersheds, wildlife, youth