Entries are being accepted for the Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve 2026 Photo Contest honoring Carolyn Babb. The deadline is Jan. 31, 2026.
The contest is limited to amateur photographers and only digital entries can be submitted. Photos must be of native species and must have been taken at the Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, which includes Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve North.
The photo contest honors the late Carolyn Babb, a longtime volunteer and Friends member who died in December 2023. She served seven years as president of the Friends Board, the longest tenure of any president.
Registration and entry submissions should be made on the Friends website, www.sloughpreserve.org
First-, second- and third-place winners will be awarded in three categories: Plants and Landscapes, Birds, and Animals. A Grand Prize winner will be awarded to the photo the judges deem best overall.
In addition to the regular adult contest, there will be separate contests for youths and staff members. Youth entries are eligible for the Grand Prize.
Hoping to foster a greater love and appreciation of nature and conservation among young people, the Friends group is allowing youths ages 17 and under to participate for free.
The entry cost for adults is $15 for Friends members and $25 for non-members. Payment for submissions must be made online via the Friends website www.sloughpreserve.org/photo-contest-1. Entrants can submit up to three photos.
The 2025 Grand Prize photo was taken by Kristina Mintz, a fifth-grade teacher at Heights Elementary School in Fort Myers. Her photo showed a crayfish snake coiled around a bald cypress knee.
Winning photos will be displayed at the Slough’s Interpretive Center starting at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, at a ceremony announcing the results. Winning photos from past years can be viewed on the Friends website at www.sloughpreserve.org and in the Interpretive Center. The Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily except Mondays. Admission to the Center and the boardwalk is free with paid parking, which is $1 an hour or $5 for an entire day.
Last year, a total of 270 photos were submitted in all categories combined by 113 different people. Twenty-nine photos received honors.
The Friends organization is a nonprofit citizens group that provides support for the Slough, and its staff and volunteers. Membership levels in the Friends organization start at $10 for students and $25 for individuals. More information about the photo contest and membership is available on the Slough Friends website at www.sloughpreserve.org
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is over 3,500 acres of wetland ecosystem with a boardwalk trail and Interpretive Center. Animals like otters, alligators, turtles, wading birds, and more live at the Slough year-round. Others, like migrating birds and butterflies, use the Slough as a feeding area or a winter home. The Slough is managed by the Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation and is open daily from sunrise to sunset.
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