Do you have amazing photos of Southern Delaware? Share them with us!
Our 2023 Southern Delaware Tourism Photo Contest is no longer open for submissions. Thank you to all who entered! Eligible entries are now being sent to our judges. Stay tuned for the announcement of this year's winning photos on Friday, March 24!
Contest opens on January 1, 2023 Entries will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 10th and winners will be announced Friday, March 24, 2023. Entries submitted before midnight on January 1, 2023 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 individually in their appropriate categories by using the upload boxes located beneath each category description. If you wish to submit more than one photo in a given category, you will need to refresh the page between uploads. Photos entered into incorrect categories will be deemed ineligible. There is no limit to the number of entries permitted, but each photo must be uploaded individually. Photos with watermarks of any kind are ineligible.
Eligible photos must be at least 1200 x 1800 pixels and must have been taken in Sussex County.
Read all contest rules and eligibility information below. All eligible photo entries will be featured on Southern Delaware Tourism’s Instagram feed @VisitSouthDel with the hashtag #SoDelPhotoContest2023. This year’s categories are:
#1 – Southern Delaware Watersports
From the Atlantic Ocean to our sparkling bays and waterways, Southern Delaware is a playground for watersports enthusiasts of every stripe. Send us your pictures of people partaking in paddling, kayaking, kiteboarding, surfing, skimboarding, jet skiing, parasailing, swimming, fishing, crabbing, etc. Photos must contain at least one person to be eligible and must be taken in Sussex County, DE. Please read requirements for model releases below if your photo contains recognizable likenesses of individuals. Entries must include photo locations.
#2 – Southern Delaware Farmer & Foodie
Agriculture and aquaculture are a very big deal here in Southern Delaware. It's what makes our Culinary Coast(tm) so scenic and delicious! Send us photos taken at our many agricultural attractions including Farmers Markets, Farm Stands, Flower Farms, on farm visits, or of people enjoying farm fresh dining in our local restaurants. Photos must be taken in Sussex County, DE. Please read requirements for model releases below if your photo contains recognizable likenesses of individuals. Entries must include photo locations.
#3 – Southern Delaware Boardwalk Scenes
Whether it's one of the bustling boardwalks lining Southern Delaware's Atlantic coast, riverwalks in Sussex County river towns, or a sun dappled boardwalk trail through one of our gorgeous state parks, wildlife refuges, or coastal marshes, the boardwalk is, and has been for centuries, an iconic coastal attraction. Show us photos of your favorite Southern Delaware boardwalks. Photos must be taken in Sussex County, DE. Please read requirements for model releases below if your photo contains recognizable likenesses of individuals. Entries must include photo locations.
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 two nights at the beautiful The Inn at Canal Square in Lewes, a gift certificate for dinner for two at the incredible Grain on the Rocks, Lewes, a dolphin watching tour for two from Cape Water Tours & Taxi, and an annual Delaware State Parks Pass. Hotel stay may be subject to restrictions. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
Photo contest individual category prizes:
Southern Delaware Watersports:
Winner of our Southern Delaware Watersports category will receive a two night stay at Hyatt Place in Dewey Beach, a gift certificate for two from Dewey Beach Parasail ($190 value), and a gift certificate from Delmarva Board Sports for a one hour kayak rental for two ($60 value). Hotel stay may be subject to restrictions. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
Southern Delaware Farmer & Foodie:
Winner of our Southern Delaware Farmer & Foodie category will receive a two night stay at the Hotel Bethany Beach, Farm Tours and gift certificates to the farm stores at two incredible Sussex County farms - Four Acres Living and Brittingham Farms, and a $50 gift certificate for dinner at Good Earth Market and Restaurant. Hotel stay may be subject to restrictions. Winner must contact prize partners for restrictions and details.
Southern Delaware Boardwalk Scenes:
Winner of our Southern Delaware Boardwalk Scenes category will receive a $500 gift certificate towards a stay at the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel, an annual Delaware State Park Pass, and a gift certificate towards dinner at Above the Dunes restaurant in Rehoboth Beach! Hotel stay may be subject to restrictions. 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, 2022 and 5 p.m. on March 10, 2023. Fill out all requested information for each entry including your name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, and photo location info.
If a model release is required, click here to fill it out and email it to SoDelPhotos@gmail.com. Make sure to include the filename of the photo covered by the release in your email.
Winners will be notified via email on Friday, March 24, 2022.
Photos must be a minimum of 1200 x 1800 pixels. Photos with watermarks of any kind will be deemed ineligible.
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.