Our Community Through Your Lens

Help us capture the beauty, heart, and spirit of Santa Cruz County—share your favorite photos with us to help tell our community’s story.

Submissions Open August 15- September 21, 2025

Santa Cruz County Love

To help us build a community photo album, we are launching our inaugural Photo Contest! Share your favorite photos that showcase the beauty, people, and spirit of our community. Selected images will be featured on the Community Foundation website and at a special reception celebrating our photographers.

Seeing the community through your lens will help tell the story of the everyday beauty, meaningful moments, and special places that make Santa Cruz County so special.

From coastal views and redwood trails to community traditions and acts of kindness, we want to see how you experience and express SC County Love.

How to Participate

It's easy to participate. Just click on the "Submit Your Photos" button to access our online submission form. Please review and adhere to the photo contest guidelines when submitting your entry to make sure it is eligible for consideration. This will help us ensure the quality and fairness of the contest.

Submission Categories:

Community Celebrations and People

Who makes up our community? What makes our community vibrant? Share photos of Iconic SC County events, community celebrations and gatherings, and the individuals that make up our community.

Landscape and Wildlife

How does nature enrich our community? Showcase the beauty of our landscapes and animal friends. From the coast to the mountains, to the majestic wildlife, and all the striking architecture and art around our county.

Nonprofit Mission in Action

Who serves our community? Share images of your favorite local nonprofit in action.

Youth Category (Ages 0-17)

What do you love about where you live? Calling all future fotógrafos! What do you love about where you live? Take a photo and share it with us. This category is open to photographers ages 0-17, with parental consent (parental/guardian consent form must be included in submission).

Who Can Enter?

The photo contest is open to all residents of Santa Cruz County, as well as photographers from outside the area whose photos were taken here. There is no fee to enter.

Prizes

We will announce winners in October and the winner in each category will be able to donate their winnings to the local nonprofit of their choice. They will also be invited to a reception at the Foundation building as well as having their work featured on our website. Contest will be judged by a panel comprised of esteemed local photographers and Foundation staff.

• 1st Place: $300 to your favorite local nonprofit
• 2nd Place: $200 to your favorite nonprofit
• 3rd Place: $100 to your favorite local nonprofit

Important Dates:

• August 15: Photo Contest Opens for Submissions
  
• September 21: Photo Contest Closes at midnight PST
• End of September: Photo Contest Review Panel will receive virtual access to help select three winners in each category.
• Mid-October: Contestants will be notified of decisions and a reception will be held along with a showcase posted to our website.

Questions? Contact Josué Monroy, Communications Coordinator at jmonroy@cfscc.org.