Do you have amazing photos of Southern Delaware? Share them with us!
Our 10th Annual Southern Delaware Tourism Photo Contest opens at 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026 Entries will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6th and winners will be announced Friday, March 20, 2026. Entries submitted before midnight on January 1, 2026 will be disqualified.
Photo Contest
There will be one Grand Prize Winner chosen from among all eligible entries as well as one winning photo in each of three categories. Emailed entries will not be eligible. Submit entries one at a time by selecting the appropriate category for each photo and using the entry form below that category description. Photos entered into incorrect categories will be deemed ineligible. There is no limit to the number of entries permitted. Photos with watermarks of any kind or created by/with AI are ineligible.
Eligible photos must be at least 1200 x 1800 pixels and must have been taken in Sussex County, Delaware.
Southern Delaware Dog Days
Share photos of your furry friends enjoying the outdoors in Southern Delaware, whether that’s on the beach or boardwalk, on a restaurant patio, in a kayak, on a hiking trail, at an event, sharing an ice cream, strolling through a downtown; wherever you and your buddy (or buddies!) have fun hanging out. Entries must include photo location. Photos must be taken in Sussex County, DE. Please read requirements for model releases if your entries contain recognizable likenesses of individuals.
Southern Delaware Events
What are your favorite Southern Delaware public events? Share your photos from festivals, arts and entertainment events, crawls, tours, parades, races, you name it! There’s a lot to choose from here – show us your awesome experiences! Photos must contain at least one person and be taken in Sussex County, DE. Entries must include photo locations. Please read requirements for model releases if your entries contain recognizable likenesses of individuals.
Southern Delaware Freestyle
Show us photos that speak to what you love most about Southern Delaware - photos that capture the reasons you’ve chosen this very special place as your go-to destination or home. Entries must include photo location. Photos must be taken in Sussex County, DE. Please read requirements for model releases if your entries contain recognizable likenesses of individuals.
Judging our Photo Contest will be…
Tony Pratt and Pam Aquilani
Pam and Tony are a couple who also happen to be a couple of amazing and well known Southern Delaware (and beyond) photographers. Pam started out as a portrait and landscape photographer, and her field has grown to include editorial and architectural photography. She specializes in real estate and restaurant photography and cannot get enough of lifestyle photoshoots. She is a people person who loves the one-on-one, intimate atmosphere photography allows. Her client base reaches all of Delmarva and beyond, including SoDel Concepts, Fisher Architecture, Carl M Freeman Companies, Coastal Style Magazine, Delaware Beach Life Magazine, Longboard Cafe, Blue Water Hospitality Service, KOA Campgrounds, and more. View her website here.
Tony, was interested in photography from childhood. In college he began to concentrate on photographing nature, and as he followed with a career in preserving natural environments he kept a camera in his hands for both his work and his personal enjoyment and fulfillment. A brief stint as the darkroom technician for the Delaware Coast Press in the 1970s resulted in Tony building a home darkroom where he bulk-loaded his own film, developed that film, and printed black and white photographs. He also shot color on slide film and eventually embraced the evolution to digital photography. He worked closely with ex-National Geographic photographer Kevin Fleming when Fleming was shooting for his books Wild Delaware and Wild Delmarva. This experience furthered Tony's ability to see the world with a critical, artistic photographer’s eye. His photographs have been used in many publications and by a wide variety of content preparers. Tony has co-taught several photography workshops with Fleming, has lectured to photography clubs, and has been asked to judge photography competitions countless times for clubs, government agencies and magazines. View his website here.
Prizes
PHOTO CONTEST GRAND PRIZE
This year's Grand Prize-Winning Photographer will receive a two-night stay at the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel in Rehoboth Beach, a gift certificate from Henlopen City Oyster House, a gift certificate from Delmarva Board Sport Adventures, and an annual Delaware State Parks Pass. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
Photo contest individual category prizes:
Southern Delaware Dog Days:
Winner of our Southern Delaware Dog Days category will receive a two-night stay at the Hampton Inn Rehoboth Beach (pet friendly!), a Woody’s Dewey Beach gift certificate, a P.U.P.S. of Lewes gift certificate, and a Delaware State Parks Pass. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
Southern Delaware Events:
Winner of our Southern Delaware Tourism's Events category will receive a two-night stay at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, a gift certificate to Nalu Surf Bar & Grill, a gift certificate from the Milton Theatre, and a Delaware State Parks Pass. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
Southern Delaware Freestyle:
Winner of our Southern Delaware Freestyle category will receive a two-night stay at Staybridge Suites Rehoboth Beach, a SoDel Concepts gift card, a gift certificate for Clear Space Theatre, and a Delaware State Parks Pass. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
How to Enter
Upload your entries to the appropriate category(ies) above between 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2026 and 5 p.m. on March 6, 2026. Fill out all requested information for each entry.
If a model release is required, click here to fill out the release and email it to SoDelPhotos@gmail.com. Make sure to include the filename of the photo covered by the release in your email.
Entries containing inappropriate imagery will be disqualified. (If you wouldn't show it to your mom, we don't want to see it either...)
Entries that do not comply with the stated rules will be deemed ineligible but will still become the property of Southern Delaware Tourism and subject to use as outlined below. Each entry constitutes the entrant’s certification that he/she meets all eligibility requirements. Judges decisions are final and binding.
NOTE: By sending Southern Delaware Tourism your photograph(s) you acknowledge and grant permission for it/them to be used in a wide variety of promotional materials including newsletters, flyers, posters, brochures, advertisements, correspondence, press kits, media submissions, websites, social networking sites, and other print and digital communications. If any person in your photograph is recognizable, you will need to provide Southern Delaware Tourism a model release form signed by that person or those persons or a parent or legal guardian if the person is under 18 years of age. Images of unrecognizable people do not need model releases. Winning images of recognizable people will be disqualified if the photographer cannot provide a valid model release upon request. "Recognizable" means that a third party could identify the individual in the image, due to the visibility of any distinctive physical features, uniform, identification numbers, and so on.