Welcome to the 2025 Alaska magazine photo contest! The Grand prize includes a one-year subscription to Alaska magazine and printed photo in a 2026 edition of Alaska magazine, as well as 2 tickets to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies. More details under Rules & Prizes.
Congratulations to all the winners and finalists in our 2024 photo contest, 2023 photo contest, 2022 photo contest, 2021 photo contest and 2020 photo contest!
Upload your photos and enter by clicking here. You may upload 3 photos max, and the photos need to be a maximum 2MB.
2025 Photo Contest Rules
Contest Categories:
The four contest categories are as follows because the themes are of special interest to the readers of Alaska magazine:
Alaskan Life: Alaskans and/or their way of life, traditions, adventuring, culture, or authentic “only in Alaska” moments. Wildlife: Animals native to Alaska. (Images of animals in captivity will not be considered.) Scenic: Landscapes and scenery of Alaska with or without the human element. Action: Anything in motion—people, animals, sports, nature, or anything else that shows movement.
What We Consider When Making Our Winner Selections:
We look for the best of the best in each category, but we also need variety. For example, consider that we might only select and print one bear photo in the wildlife category. Is yours the best bear photo—a true standout? Otherwise, consider submitting a different animal to increase the odds of getting our attention. Same with northern lights. We typically only select one aurora image out of all the contest submissions. Is yours “the one”? Otherwise, there are many other landscapes to capture in the Great Land. Beyond variety, we look for an image that stops us in our tracks—shows us something unique or from a new angle. The submission should be technically well-done, sharp, with excellent lighting and composition. Explore previous winning entries to get an idea of what we’re looking for.
Photos must have been taken in Alaska and made by the entrant in the calendar years of 2023, 2024, or 2025. Photographs which have been obviously or overly altered with digital enhancements or composite imaging will not be accepted. Minor adjustments, including sharpening, contrast, and slight color or light adjustment are acceptable. If the judges determine that a photographer has overly altered a photo, they reserve the right to disqualify it.
For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must secure a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian and provide it to Alaska magazine upon request. Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
How to Enter
Digitally:
Only digital entries submitted through this form will be considered and accepted.
Entries that do not follow contest submission rules may be disallowed at the discretion of the Alaska magazine contest judges.
By entering the contest, entrants grant Alaska magazine a royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or subsequently developed, for any use including print publications, educational, promotional, publicity, exhibition, archival, calendar, scholarly and all other standard Alaska magazine purposes. Any photograph reproduced in Alaska magazine will include a photographer credit if space allows. Alaska magazine will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.
Entry deadline:
All entries must be received by Alaska magazine by 2 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on August 31, 2025.
Judging:
Judging of the annual contest will be conducted by the editors of Alaska magazine. Winning photographs and selected finalists will be published in a 2026 issue of Alaska magazine and subsequently on www.alaskamagazine.com. Some winning selections will also be included in our annual calendar. We reserve the right to change the date and issue of publication of the winners’ images in the print edition and online. Decisions of the judges will be final. A grand-prize winner, four category winners, and second and third place category winners will be selected, as well as an honorable mention in each category. Please do not contact us about the status of your entries. We reserve the right to consider your entry for any applicable category.
Winners will be notified of their status and will appear on our website in 2026. The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. Alaska magazine reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. Decisions of the Alaska magazine judges will be final. If we are unable to reach a winner within 30 days of attempted notification or have not received the requested hi-resolution files necessary for publication, an alternate winner may be selected.
The Official Rules
ELIGIBILITY. This contest (the “Contest”) is offered by Morris Communications Company, LLC. The Contest is open only to those who are at least 18 years old as of early 2025. This Contest is not open to residents of a state where state law prohibits such contests. Employees and directors of Sponsors and all of its subsidiary and related companies and the immediate family (spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, daughter or son, regardless of where they live) or members of their same households (whether related or not) of such employees and directors are not eligible. By entering this Contest, you agree to these Official Rules and the decisions of Alaska magazine, which shall be final and binding in all respects. No purchase is necessary to win, and purchasing any product will not improve your chances to win. Contest void in states where contest is not valid or allowed. Winners selected must accept all terms and conditions to qualify.
PROMOTIONAL PERIOD. The promotional period for The Contest begins on 3/15/25 at 12:01 a.m. Alaska Standard Time, and ends on 8/31/2025 at 2:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time.
ENTRY. There is no cost or purchase required to enter The Contest, which must be entered via the Internet at www.alaskamagazine.com, accessible directly and via other sites.
The Grand prize includes a one-year subscription to Alaska magazine and printed photo in a 2026 edition of Alaska magazine, as well as 2 tickets to anywhere Alaska Airlines flies—some restrictions may apply.
WINNERS LIST. The list of winners will be displayed in a 2026 issue of Alaska magazine. A winners list can also be obtained by writing and sending a SASE to: Alaska magazine, Photo Contest Winners List Request, PO Box 240449, Anchorage, AK 99524.
COPPA POLICY. In accordance with the Children’s Online Protection Policy, we cannot accept registration from anyone under the age of eighteen. COPPA provides protection for children while online and prohibits websites from accepting any identifiable data or information from anyone thirteen and under.