Prizes

The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 USD and may have their winning photo featured on the 2028 Annual Federal Recreational Lands Pass. Each of the four category winners will receive $2,000 USD, and all winners will receive prizes from Celestron, Historic Hotels of America, and YETI. For full prize package details, please visit sharetheexperience.org/prizes.

About Share the Experience

The Share the Experience photo contest is an annual national competition open to amateur photographers based in the United States, celebrating the beauty and diversity of America’s federal public lands and waters.

Share the Experience is presented by the National Park Foundation and Booz Allen Hamilton, in partnership with Recreation.gov and the participating federal agencies: the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Judging Criteria

Finalists will be selected and judged on originality, artistic composition, technical quality, photographic technique, and the way the photo showcases the best of America’s recreational opportunities. Each criterion will be given equal consideration when selecting finalists. In the event of a tie for any final spot, the entry judged to most effectively showcase originality will be the finalist.