Hill Country Alliance 16th annual photo contest: Snapshot of the Hill Country

Staff Reports

DRIPPING SPRINGS – The Texas Hill Country is changing. The scenic beauty and abundant natural resources that have brought folks to Central Texas for thousands of years are at risk of being loved to death.

As a recently released report from the Texas Hill Country Conservation Network stresses, the window of opportunity to protect and sustain the Hill Country’s natural treasures will likely close within our generation. This report shows a brief impression – a snapshot – of life in the Hill Country that embodies what we have and what we stand to lose.

When you look at the Hill Country, what do you see? This spring, the Hill Country Alliance (HCA) calls on anyone with a camera to share your view of our changing region in the 16^th annual Hill Country Photo Contest, “Snapshot of the Hill Country.” Now through May 31, 2022, entries can be submitted to HCA’s website (www.hillcountryalliance.org/PhotoContest).

Photographers of all ages and skill levels, from amateur to professional, are invited to participate. Winners will receive cash prizes and their photos will appear in HCA’s 2023 Calendar.

This year’s photo contest challenges photographers to share their view of the fragile resources, growing communities, and persistent beauty of the Texas Hill Country. As always, HCA hopes the photo contest will allow photographers to share images of the Hill Country’s breathtaking vistas, clear waters, starry night skies, and close-knit communities that they want to capture and protect forever.

In addition, HCA hopes that contestants this year will also share snapshots of change in the region – impacts of growth, the contrast between old and new, or images of the things they would like to see stay the same forever. HCA particularly encourages photographers to consider submitting shots that feature the diversity of the Hill Country, its people, and its future.

Entering the photo contest is easy. Photos can be submitted online in just a few minutes by visiting HCA’s website: www.hillcountryalliance.org/PhotoContest.

HCA’s annual photo contest spotlights the Texas Hill Country’s unique region of pristine springs, sprawling landscapes, diverse wildlife, star-filled skies, multi-generational land stewards, historic towns, and hidden oases. With a rapidly growing population and increasing development coming into the region, many of these special qualities are at risk of being lost forever.

Winning photographs will be featured in HCA’s annual Texas Hill Country Calendar, which features stunning photography from each year’s photo contest. Both the photo contest and the calendar aim to highlight the beauty of the region, provide an informative resource on Hill Country conservation, and inspire folks to learn more and become involved in the issues important to keeping the natural resources of this unique region intact.

The Hill Country Alliance is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to raise public awareness and build community support around the need to preserve the natural resources and heritage of the Central Texas Hill Country. More information can be found at www.hillcountryalliance.org.