Tuolumne County Digital Photography Contest

Capture the

Essence of Tuolumne

The Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools Digital Photography Contest invites students to showcase their creativity, perspective, and technical skills through original photography. This annual contest celebrates visual storytelling and provides students with an opportunity to express ideas, capture meaningful moments, and engage with the world through a creative lens. This year, the contest also includes a new Photo Caption Contest, offering students an additional way to participate by combining visual analysis with clear, creative writing.

Submission Deadline

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2025 Contest Winners Announced

We are thrilled to unveil the winners of this year’s Photography Contest. Each participant brought their unique vision to life, capturing the essence of our themes with creativity and technical skill.

Tuolumne County Digital Photography Contest Submission Deadline

Deadline Extended to April 15, 2026, @ 11:59 PM.

Event Contact

Shannon Oden
209.536.2084
soden@tcsos.us

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New This Year: Photo Caption Contest

We are excited to introduce a new Caption Contest as part of the Tuolumne County Digital Photography Contest.

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Contest Categories

Discover the variety of categories in our contest, each offering a unique perspective of Tuolumne County and beyond

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Contest Rules

Essential guidelines to ensure your participation is smooth and your submissions are eligible

Contest

Guidelines & Rules

Students in grades 5-12 from Tuolumne County public and participating private schools are eligible.
Photographs (and any editing) must be the original work of the individual receiving credit.
An entry can be edited to include multiple photographs, but all photographs must be the original work of the individual receiving credit.
Text and other graphical elements added to a photograph must be the original work of the individual receiving credit. Please remember this is a photography contest, so text and visual elements should not detract from the photograph.
Photographs must not include content generated, modified, or significantly enhanced by artificial intelligence (AI). Minor AI-based tools for general photo adjustments (e.g., exposure, contrast, or cropping) are allowed, but any use of AI to create, alter, or generate parts of the photograph is strictly prohibited.
Photographs must be submitted by the student’s teacher, parent, or guardian, who verifies by submission that the work is ORIGINAL, not copies of published photographs or photographs taken by non-eligible individuals.
Students may submit up to three photographs in total, across one or multiple categories.
Photographs must meet the submission deadline.
Photographs that are submitted give TCSOS the right to use in print and digital materials and to share on the TCSOS website and print media.

New!

Photo Caption Contest

We are excited to introduce a new Caption Contest as part of this year’s Photo Contest. Open to students in Grades 3–5 and Grades 6–12, this opportunity encourages students to think critically about images and use clear, creative writing to describe or enhance selected contest photos. To support classroom integration, optional grade-band-aligned mini-lessons are available that focus on visual analysis and caption writing. Teachers may adapt these lessons for whole-class instruction, small groups, or independent practice, and captions created through these activities may be submitted directly using the official Google Form.

To Participate

To participate in the Caption Contest, students can view the contest photos and submit their captions through our Google Forms (one per grade band).

Grades 3–5: Submit a Caption

Grades 6–12: Submit a Caption

Grades 3–5 Caption Writing Lesson

Students explore how captions help explain or enhance photographs by analyzing images with and without captions. Through class discussion and guided practice, students learn to write short, focused captions that match the mood and content of an image while answering key questions such as who, what, where, when, and why. The lesson supports narrative and informative writing standards and encourages creativity, clarity, and thoughtful word choice.

Grades 6–12 Caption Writing Lesson

Students analyze photographs to determine context, purpose, and tone, then craft captions that add meaning or perspective to an image. Emphasis is placed on concise writing, audience awareness, and making informed inferences when full context is not available. Students practice writing multiple captions and reflect on how language shapes interpretation, supporting analytical writing and discussion skills.

Contest

Submission Form

Submit your entry to the Tuolumne County Digital Photography Contest using this form. Please note: only one photo per form is allowed. If you have multiple photos to submit, complete a separate form for each entry. We can’t wait to see your creativity!

Student Information

Student Name *

First

Last

Student Grade *

School *

Teacher Name *

Submitter's Information

This is the information of the individual submitting the form, whether you're a parent/guardian or a teacher registering on behalf of a student.

Submitter's Name *

First

Last

Submitter's Email *

Submitter's Phone *

Photograph Entry

Photograph Upload *

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload

Browse for photo or drag and drop. Allowable formats are, JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, PDF.

Please briefly describe your photograph: *

Is there anything else our judges should know?

Consent & Submit

Photo Usage and Rights Agreement *

I agree to the following statement

I hereby grant the Tuolumne County Superintendent of Schools (TCSOS) non-exclusive rights to use my submitted photographs and include my name for promotional purposes in various media formats, indefinitely. I acknowledge that I will not receive compensation for such use. I confirm that all recognizable individuals in the photographs have provided their consent. By submitting, I release, indemnify, and hold harmless TCSOS and its representatives from any claims, damages, or liabilities arising from the use of these photographs as described.

Winners

Gallery

The Tuolumne County Digital Photography Contest takes pride in acknowledging the exceptional talents of students in three divisions: Elementary (Grades 5 and 6), Middle School (Grades 7 and 8), and High School (Grades 9-12). Our aim is to celebrate the creativity and vision of young photographers in our community. Below is the list of winners and honorable mentions of the 2025 contest.