The City of Grants Pass is inviting residents and regional photographers to help shape a public document most households receive but few consider a canvas for local storytelling. Through a new photo contest tied to its 2025 Water Quality Report, the city is asking for original images that capture a simple theme with wide interpretation, what water means to the people who live in Southern Oregon.
City officials are encouraging participation from a broad range of photographers, including students, hobbyists, and professionals. Entries will be accepted in three categories: K through 12, amateur, and professional. The contest is designed to highlight the many ways water is experienced across the region, from rivers and rainfall to irrigation, drinking water, recreation, and the natural landscapes that depend on dependable waterways.
Two cash prizes are available for the top submissions. The first-place photo will receive $200, and the second-place photo will receive $100. Winning images will also be featured in the City of Grants Pass 2025 Water Quality Report, a yearly publication that provides information about local drinking water and compliance with state and federal standards. Beyond the report itself, the city plans to use selected winning photographs on social media and in promotional or public information materials, and the winners will be recognized during a City Council meeting.
The contest includes several key rules intended to keep entries straightforward and reproducible in print and digital formats. All submissions must be original photographs and must be provided as digital files suitable for reproduction. The city is requiring that each entry come from a single frame captured by a camera, which can include a DSLR, a point and shoot camera, or a smartphone. Composite images made by layering multiple photos together are not permitted. The city is also barring images created by artificial intelligence.
Photographers are required to submit an agreement form with each entry. According to the terms, entries will be judged on creativity, originality, and relevance to the theme. The city notes that the judges’ decision is final.
Geography is also part of the contest framework. Photos must be taken in Southern Oregon, specifically within Curry, Jackson, Josephine, and Klamath counties. That boundary is expected to keep the focus on local waterways, local weather patterns, and the everyday relationship residents have with water in this corner of the state.
The contest terms include provisions that participants should review closely before submitting. By entering, photographers assign the City of Grants Pass a perpetual, royalty free, and irrevocable right to use and reproduce the submitted images for a wide range of public purposes, including publication, promotion, distribution, adaptation, and display. The city states the photos may be used without limitation or compensation to entrants, and that images may be altered or adjusted as needed for formatting in the report or other printed and digital materials. The city further states that submitted photos become city property and may be used for additional materials without restrictions.
City employees and their family members are allowed to submit entries and are encouraged to participate, but they are not eligible to receive prizes. Winners will be notified by email by January 9, 2026. Prize rules also specify that awards are non-assignable and nontransferable, with no substitutions. Winners are responsible for any federal, state, or local taxes associated with receiving a prize.
The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. on December 31, 2025. Entries are being accepted by email, and participants can submit photos to smorgan@grantspass.oregon.gov