photo contest

The City of Akron is excited to announce the inaugural Akron Waterways Renewed! Photo Contest, an opportunity to showcase the renewal of our local waterways, wildlife and ecosystems. The AWR Photo Contest is part of our annual environmental festival, the Blue Heron Homecoming.

The winning photos will receive an all-weather showcase in the Cuyahoga Valley hung on the Akron-Peninsula Road face of the City’s Water Reclamation Facility, the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel building off of the Towpath, or another City building for a period of time up to a year.

This year’s festival theme is “Wings of Renewal” and entries should be nature photos that illustrate renewal of the environment in Akron. The photo contest is open to all photographers, and entries will be judged based on relevancy to the theme, creativity, and visual quality and composition.

 

rules

  • Photos submitted should be taken in or around the City of Akron.

  • Minor adjustments to exposure, contrast, brightness, coloring, cropping, and/or sharpening are permitted.

  • A maximum of two photos per photographer can be submitted.

  • One photo per photographer can be selected as finalists in the photo contest.

Photos cannot be accepted if:

  • Photo is submitted after the deadline of September 21, 2025.

  • The photo is digitally altered/edited, heavily manipulated (adding, removing, cloning elements, AI), or includes digital art.

  • The photo infringes on the copyright, trademark, rights of privacy/publicity, or intellectual property, or rights of any other photographer/person, or determined to be controversial.

Submission requirements:

  • Photo entries must be submitted as digital images uploaded to: https://www.dropbox.com/request/ubX85kYzI4UN8dY2KkBj.
  • Digital photos must be a minimum of 300 dpi (600dpi preferred) and in a jpg format.
  • Image size of at least 1 MB (5 MB preferred).
  • Each photo submitted must be accompanied by an entry form, complete with a signature.

HOW TO ENTER:

This year’s festival theme is “Wings of Renewal” and entries should be nature photos that illustrate renewal of the environment in Akron. The winning photos will receive an all-weather showcase in the Cuyahoga Valley hung on the Akron-Peninsula Road face of the City’s Water Reclamation Facility, the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel building off of the Towpath, or another City building for a period of time up to a year.

  1. Get out and explore Akron’s area parks and natural areas
  2. Snap a photo!
  3. Submit photo(s) and completed entry form to https://www.dropbox.com/request/ubX85kYzI4UN8dY2KkBj by September 21, 2025.
  4. All photo entries should be uploaded by 11:59pm on September 21, 2025.

 

additional info

  • Photos will not be returned, and the City of Akron reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, entry eligibility.

  • Your photos help support the renewal of the river and the community engagement for Akron Waterways Renewed! You will retain all rights and ownership to any photos submitted. By submitting a photo, you grant the City of Akron a nonexclusive right in perpetuity, as it relates to the Akron Waterways Renewed! mission. Your photos may undergo computer-aided changes and may be used for education, promotion, or any other purpose or venue by the City and its agents.

  • Winning photographs will be announced at the Blue Heron Homecoming on October 11, 2025. Winning photographs will be displayed on all-weather materials on City-owned buildings that may include the Akron Water Reclamation Facility, Akron City Hall, the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel, and other buildings at the City’s discretion for up to one (1) year.

  • Photographs will be considered for the youth category (ages up to 17) and adult category (ages 18+). The City will award two photos in each category. Up to 12 finalist photos per category will be selected for display at the Blue Heron Homecoming on October 11, 2025. The winning photos will be announced at the Blue Heron Homecoming event on October 11, 2025.

  • Submissions for the photo contest are due by September 21, 2025. Participants may submit up to two (2) photographs for consideration. Each photo should be submitted as a high-resolution digital file along with a completed entry form.