Winners
Celebrating photographers who showcase the best of America's public lands and waters.
2026 Monthly Winners
Each month of the contest, three standout photographs are featured here. Check back in October to see the September winners.
2025 Share the Experience Winners
The 2025 Share the Experience Photo Contest received nearly 9,000 entries. The winning photographs were selected based on originality, artistic composition, technical quality, photographic technique, and showcasing the best of America’s recreational opportunities. We are proud to present the winners of the 2025 Share the Experience Photo Contest.
GRAND PRIZE
Jonatas Neiva
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
“America's public lands and waters mean the world to me. As a naturalized U.S. citizen, they are among the things that make me most proud to call this country home. For me, their meaning goes beyond the incredible diversity of landscapes and wildlife. Every time I share a photo, my hope is that it sparks the same sense of awe in someone else, and that awe turns into appreciation, and appreciation turns into stewardship.”
2025 Category Winners
Standout photos in each of the contest categories.
SECOND PLACE
Nina Mayer Ritchie
GMUG National Forest
"I am a physician, mother, and amateur photographer currently living in Colorado with my husband and two young sons. My family and I have always been fierce advocates for America’s public lands and waters. Recreating responsibly in these unique locations is the lens through which we view our family’s past, present, and future."
THIRD PLACE
Danielle Craig
Grand Teton National Park
"This photo was taken during a 42-day cross-country road trip my fiancé and I went on after graduating college. We had spent weeks camping, hiking, and exploring National Parks, and by the time we reached the Tetons, it felt like the perfect grand finale to our adventure."
HISTORY & HERITAGE
Jean Zuo
Yosemite National Park
"The Yosemite Valley Chapel was built in the Yosemite Valley of California in 1879. The chapel was moved to its present location in 1901, as the old Lower Village dwindled. It's beautiful all year around but capturing it in a snowy night is a dream came true for me."
OUTDOORS FOR ALL
Ryan Grassley
Arches National Park
"This photo was taken at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park — the moment Sam, who has cerebral palsy, finally made it to one of the most iconic spots in Utah."
SCENERY & SEASONS
Matthew Grahovac
Mount Rainier National Park
"On the eighth and final day of my 93-mile thru-hike of the Wonderland Trail, I started the morning with a steep climb up out of our camp at Indian Bar to the Cowlitz Divide. Once I reached the peak, I stopped to catch my breath. When I turned around, I saw a literal wonderland."
VACATION VIBES
Phil Reedy
Arches Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
"I have loved our national parks since my first visits to Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier 45 years ago. It is my great fortune to live just a few hours from Yosemite and visit the park often. Most of my fly fishing and landscape photos are taken in the many national forests that California is blessed with."
WILDLIFE
Jaime Wright
Kenai Fjords National Park
"I took a nursing travel contract to Alaska last summer and my best friend immediately planned a trip to come visit me. One thing we both wanted to do was get out near a glacier... My winning photo was taken on our way to the glacier as we passed by several sea otters!"