Historic Preservation Month Photo Contest
Contest Guidelines
- Limit of three photograph submissions per photographer. Each photograph needs its own entry form.
- The subject of the image must be in Indiana, current (taken within the last two years), and of a resource that is at least 50 years old. Photographs exclusively of natural elements will not be accepted.
- Images must be submitted as .jpg or .jpeg files. As of 2020, printed photos will no longer be accepted. Each photo file must be less than 10MB and be sent with a completed entry form. Email entries to DHPAConnect@dnr.IN.gov. Please submit one photo and one entry form per email to ensure the files do not exceed the size limits of state email accounts.
- On the entry form, photographer must select one of the five contest categories for the photo to be considered:
- Color
- Black & White
- Kids (under 18)
- Altered
- Photographs pertaining to the annual Preservation Month theme. In 2026, DHPA is recognizing the National Road in Indiana and the historic resources and communities found along it. We encourage you to photograph historic buildings, bridges, or streetscapes that you encounter as you drive along the nation's first federally funded highway.
- Do not include watermarks or signatures on the photograph. Such markings will disqualify the photo from the contest.
- Basic cropping and other minor adjustments and slight color adjustments do not require entering the Altered image category. However, if the photo has been edited, enhanced, or manipulated for artistic purposes by applying special effects (colorizing, toning, collage, photo composites, HDR, etc.), the Altered image category must be selected. Organizers/judges reserve the right to move an obviously altered photo to the Altered image category.
- Deadline to submit photographs is the first Friday of April by 11:50 p.m. ET.
Note: Photos may be used for office displays and promotions for the photo contest, Historic Preservation Month, and historic preservation, in general. These will include the DHPA Facebook page and DHPA website. Photos will not be used in for-profit publications. Photographs will be judged by a panel consisting of representatives from the DNR and other preservationists and/or photographers.
Winners will be announced in May during Historic Preservation Month. Be sure to follow DHPA’s Facebook page and the DNR Instagram account to follow along.