Local residents recognized as two of the winners for the 15th Annual Keep Iowa Beautiful Photography contest, with their pictures capturing Iowa’s natural beauty. Over 900 photos were entered into the six different categories: Iowa Landscape, waters, cities, wildlife, Iowans in Action, Hometown Pride, and some winning the The Robert D. Ray Best of Show and the public favorite winner. In the Iowa landscape group, Anji Bennett of Lake View received an honorable Mention for “Surrounded by Green”, displaying a recreational trail in a wooded area. Bennett also won third place for “Combining Natural Curves”, an aerial photo of corn being harvested in the Iowans in Action category. Bill Benson of Carroll won second place for his “Swallowtail on Purple Flowers” photo, showing a close up of a butterfly. Keep Iowa Beautiful Executive Director, Andy Frantz, says “Keep Iowa Beautiful’s annual photo contest is a great opportunity for photographers to capture and share the essence of Iowa’s story. We were truly impressed by the incredible quality and creativity of this year’s submissions.” A list of all winners and pictures is included below.
The Robert D. Ray Best of Show winners:
1st Place: “Cliff Swallows Arguing,” Sharon Scarff of Wayland
2nd Place: “Little George Park,” Svitlana Kay of Harlan
3rd Place: “Hazy Des Moines,” Scot Howe of Urbandale
Iowa Landscape winners:
1st Place: “Little George Park,” Svitlana Kay of Harlan
2nd Place: “Iowa’s Fire Tower,” Cody Davis of Grinnell
3rd Place: “Surrounded by Corn,” Sharon Scarff of Wayland
Honorable Mention: “Surrounded by Green,” Anji Bennett of Lake View
Iowa Water winners:
1st Place: “Floating Dock,” William Beardsley of Spirit Lake
2nd Place: “Falling for Autumn,” AJ Ash of Waukee
3rd Place: “Aurora Borealis Over Clear Lake,” Alec Heggen of Clear Lake
Honorable Mention: “Window to Serenity,” William Beardsley of Spirit Lake
Iowa Cities winners:
1st Place: “Hazy Des Moines,” Scot Howe of Urbandale
2nd Place: “Woodbine at Dusk,” Sarah Lenz of Woodbine
3rd Place: “Fall in Elkader,” Trent Hanselmann of Dubuque
Honorable Mention: “Historic Downtown Dubuque,” Kay Munson of Dubuque
Iowans in Action winners:
1st Place: “Rodeo,” Lee Navin of Ankeny
2nd Place: “Crop Duster,” Adam Orgler of Johnston
3rd Place: “Combining Natural Curves,” Anji Bennett of Lake View
Honorable Mention: “Fly Iowa Air Show,” Lee Navin of Ankeny
Iowa Wildlife winners:
1st Place: “Cliff Swallows Arguing,” Sharon Scarff of Wayland
2nd Place: “Swallowtail on purple flowers,” Bill Benson of Carroll
3rd Place: “Between the Rows: Protective Mama,” Benjamin Neff of Beaman
Honorable Mention: “The Great One,” Cody Davis of Grinnell
Hometown Pride winners:
1st Place: “Early morning in July,” Katie Kettering of Clinton
2nd Place: “Potter’s Mill,” Scott Hoag of DeWitt
3rd Place: “Sunset Flight,” Heather Johnson of Ankeny
Honorable Mention: “Fair Food,” Adam Orgler of Johnston
Public Favorite winner:
“Floating Dock,” William Beardsley of Spirit Lake
