Event Link: https://www.prairiewetlands.org

FEE: NO FEE

The Friends of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center are excited to again sponsor a prairie-themed photography contest! Thank you to all who participated in the previous years.

Nature photography is one of the many enriching activities available on our public lands. Photography is inexpensive, fun, and easy to do. In celebration of the plentiful opportunities to find and capture the beauty of the prairie, the contest is open to all amateur photographers.

Photos will be grouped into one of four categories: Prairie Wildlife, Prairie Plant Life, Prairie Scenic Views and Recreation, and Prairie Pollinators and Other Invertebrates. Individual photographers will be able to submit up to 5 prairie-themed photos taken on public lands in 2024/2025. The contest will accept submissions from September 14, 2024 through September 12, 2025. The Grand Prize Winner will receive a large metal print of their photo after it is displayed at the PWLC for one year! Other prizes will be available too, including gift certificates, award certificates, and more.

Please stay tuned for more announcements and visit our Facebook page for more information. We are anxious to see all the beautiful photographs captured on our region’s prairies!
Please visit our webpage for our entry form and contest rules, https://www.prairiewetlands.org/  Questions may be called in to our Friends phone line at (218) 998-4488 or email

Event Link: https://www.hcscconline.org

FEE: Regular admission is $12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $9 for college students, $8 for youth 5-17, and free for under 5, for active military families, HCSCC members, and everyone on Tuesday evenings from 5 to 8pm.

The Unchosen Ones is a photography exhibition displaying the work of R. J. Kern. His photography explores the ideas of home, agriculture, and rural livelihoods. The Unchosen Ones focuses on young contestants at county fairs throughout Minnesota in 2016 and 2020 who didn’t win in their contests. These contestants, some of them as young as four years old, dedicated time and energy to raising livestock to show and Kern's portraits capture a sense of wisdom and heartiness in his subjects beyond their years.