2017 Seasons of the St. Louis River Photo Contest

In 2017, the St. Louis River Alliance (SLRA) hosted a photo contest to celebrate the seasons and beauty of the largest U.S. river that flows into Lake Superior. The SLRA went on a mission to find striking digital images that highlight the diverse flora, wildlife and recreational activities that connect people to their natural habitat.

The contest began on June 1st, 2017 and closed on December 1, 2017. We saw many perspectives of life on the river, and really enjoyed seeing all of the beauty participants shared in their photos. Thank you to all the amazing photographers who submitted a photo in the contest. We appreciate your participation and hope there will be future opportunities for you to join in on the fun!

In total we had over 130 photographs entered into the contest and over one thousand people join us on our mission view, sharing, commenting and voting on the photos that were submitted.

As the second ever Season of the St. Louis River Photo Contest, our judges had the difficult task narrowing down the top photographs and then ultimately choosing only three. After much deliberation, the top 3 photos were selected. The winning photos are as follows:

1st Place - “A Self Portrait” by Like He
2nd Place - “Rails Over River” by Tim Beaulier
3rd Place - “Autumn Paddle” by Elaine Nordstrom

Also, a BIG thank you to your judges: Cherie Hagen of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Ivy Vaino of the American Indian Community Housing Organization, Artist Jonathon Thunder, Ann Kelfstad of MNArtists.org, and Jason Pearson the Curator for the Duluth Art Institute.

We sincerely appreciate the enthusiasm and willingness of our artists, judges, supporters, friends and visitors for participating in the contest. We look forward to the potential of doing something similar in the future!

Below is a gallery of the submissions for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!