Announcing the Dr. Kim Ingold NC 4-H Photo Contest.  Entries for the contest are due August 14th.  Information has been updated on the State 4-H Website.  There have been a few changes to this year's contest to streamline the process and make it easier to enter.  Please make sure you read the instructions carefully.  

NC 4-H Photo Contest Website

All entries are due by August 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EST and must be submitted online at the link below. All youth participants must be enrolled and approved in 4-HOnline.

To enroll in 4-HOnline, please visit this link. 4-HOnline Enrollment

Click here to submit your entries.

North Carolina 4-H reserves the right to use submitted photographs for educational purposes with photographer credit.

Anyone can submit entries, and 4-H Professionals will be notified of their county's participation after the entry deadline.

Rules and Regulations:

• This contest is open to North Carolina 4-H members, ages 8-18, and adults, ages 19 years and older, as of January 1, 2026.
• All youth participants must be enrolled in 4-HOnline.
• All photographs must have been taken by the 4-H’er/adult submitting the entry during the contest year (September 2025 – August 2026).
• Participants must enter their photographs within the age division that applies to their age, as of January 1, 2026.
• • Cloverbud: Ages 5–7 (non-competitive)
  • Junior: Ages 8–13
  • Senior: Ages 14–18
  • Adult: Ages 19+

• Cloverbud, Junior, and Senior

  • 4-H in Action
  • Nature’s Beauty (No Animals)
  • Animals
  • Black and White

  Adult

  • 4-H in Action

If the 4-H Emblem appears in a photograph, it must follow official 4-H guidelines.

Entry Limits:

• • Cloverbud, Junior, and Senior divisions
    • One photograph may be entered in each category (Maximum of four entries total)
    • The same image may not be entered in multiple categories
  • Adult division
    • Maximum of one entry in the 4-H in Action category

  Category Requirements

  • Animal photographs should not be entered in the Nature's Beauty category
  • Black and white photographs must be entered in the Black and White category regardless of subject matter

• How to Enter

  Photographs must be submitted electronically through the contest submission form.

  Participants will be asked to provide:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • 4-H county
  • Age as of January 1
  • 4-H professional name and email
  • Age division
  • Photograph category
  • Title of photograph (three words or fewer when possible)
  • Brief description of the photograph for historical reference

  File Requirements

  Photographs must be saved using the following format:
  AgeDivision_Category_LastName_FirstName_Title_Year

  Note: File names should list the participant’s last name before their first name.

  Use underscores (_) between each section of the file name and avoid spaces or special characters. In the examples below, “Clover” is used as the last name.

  Examples

  • Cb_Animals_Clover_Charlie_MyCalf_2026
  • Jr_Nature_Clover_Chris_MorningTrail_2026
  • Sr_BlackAndWhite_Clover_Carol_CityLights_2026
  • Adult_Action_Clover_Clarence_HandsToService_2026

  Additional requirements:

  • Submit photographs at the highest image resolution possible
  • Files must not exceed 10 GB
  • Only PNG and JPEG files are accepted
  • Submit the original digital photo file whenever possible; screenshots and photos of printed photographs should not be submitted