Submissions Open for 2025 World Water Day Photo Contest

EAST ALTON – The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠) is now accepting entries for the 2025 World Water Day Photo Contest. This year’s theme is Textures and Tones of the River. The submission deadline is February 14, 2025.

Contestants may submit one photo per category. Each participant will have one photo professionally printed (cost covered by entry fees and NGRREC) for a photography exhibition at NGRREC.

“This year’s theme highlights textures and tones of our river systems,” Swarovski Foundation – Waterschool USA Program Manager Jolena Pang said. “We’re also maintaining our tried-and-true categories from 2024, such as River Scenery, Wildlife, and Rivers & People.”

The $20 entry fee (for adults) covers the cost of three photo submissions (maximum of three photos, one per category) and the professional printing of one image per contestant. Youth participants under 18 can enter free of charge. The overall prize winner will receive $500, with category winners receiving monetary prizes as well.

The World Water Day Photo Exhibition will open with a celebratory event from 5 to 7 p.m. on March 12, 2025, at the Jerry F. Costello Field Station. Following the exhibition, which will run from March 12 through May, participants can donate their photos to the station or take them home.

Categories:

• River Scenery: Focuses on the beauty of the river and surrounding ecosystems.
• Wildlife: Focuses on wildlife along the river, highlighting animals, plants and unique ecosystems that depend on the river’s waters.
• Rivers & People: Explores the human connection to waterways, from cultural and recreational activities to conservation efforts.

Participants can upload photos and read the complete rules and info at bit.ly/NGRphoto or https://forms.gle/oMUaxPdWuSoer6oK9.

“Thank you for joining us in celebrating this major confluence of rivers and all the freshwater systems surrounding us,” Pang said.

For more information or questions about the World Water Day Photo Contest, contact event coordinator Jolena Pang at jpang@lc.edu.

National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC℠)

Founded in 2002 as a collaborative partnership between the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Lewis and Clark Community College, NGRREC is dedicated to the study of great river systems and the communities that use them. The center aspires to be a leader in scholarly research, education, and outreach related to the interconnectedness of large rivers, their floodplains, watersheds, and their associated communities. To learn more about NGRREC, visit www.ngrrec.org.