Southfield Photo Prize

The annual Southfield Photo Prize, currently in its 10th year, is a nationally recognized and award-winning photography competition that aims to showcase the natural and architectural beauty throughout the City of Southfield while also creating an outdoor public art exhibition.

Submissions are initially reviewed by the Total Living Commission and Public Arts Commission, along with a panel of professional photographers, which select the top 25 finalist entries.

Finalist photographs will be enlarged and displayed on the Parks and Recreation building for public viewing and voting through September 4, 2026. The community is encouraged to visit the exhibition and experience the work on display.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in October.

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    2026 Photo Prize Contest

    Entries for the 2026 Southfield Photo Prize are currently being accepted and may be e-mailed as an attachment to PhotoContest@cityofsouthfield.com by Tuesday, June 30,2026

    These entries will be enlarged and displayed on the parks & recreation building for public viewing and voting until September 4, 2026. The community is encouraged to visit the public exhibition to view all of the photos which have been enlarged and placed on display on the parks & recreation building.

    The results from the 2026 Photo Prize competition will be announced at an awards ceremony in October. 

    Criteria for Submission

    • Photographers must live, work, worship, or attend school in the City of Southfield.
    • Submitted photographs must be original digital images of a Southfield landmark or other subject matter taken within city limits. Photos may be captured in any season and may be in color or black and white.
    • Basic editing is permitted, including dodging, burning, cropping, and color correction. No additional or advanced photo manipulation is allowed.
    • If cropping, images should follow a 4 by 3 or 3 by 4 ratio for contest prints and calendar use. City staff reserve the right to adjust cropping as needed.
    • Images must be high resolution, with a minimum of 300 DPI and at least 2,000 pixels. Acceptable file formats include JPEG, TIFF, or PDF. These specifications can typically be met using most cameras and smartphones.
    • Each photographer may submit up to three entries for consideration.
    • The City of Southfield reserves the right to use all submitted entries in marketing and other materials, including the City’s 2027 calendar.

    Submission Details

    Entries must be emailed as attachments to PhotoContest@cityofsouthfield.com by Tuesday, June 30, 2026.

    Submissions may also be mailed on a USB flash drive to:

    Southfield Community Relations Department
    26000 Evergreen Road
    P O Box 2055
    Southfield, MI 48037 2055

    Submissions that do not meet the above criteria will not be eligible for the competition.

    Contact Information

    For more information, contact Community Relations at communityrelations@cityofsouthfield.com or call (248) 796-5130.

     

    2025 Photo Prize Winners

    A total of 159 submissions were received for the 2025 Southfield Photo Prize. Entries were initially reviewed by the Total Living Commission, which selected the top 25 finalists. These finalist images were displayed for public viewing and open for online voting.

    More than 3,750 unique votes were cast during the 2025 Photo Prize contest, with winners determined by the highest number of overall public votes received.

    First Place was awarded to Krystal Player for her photo of her daughter ice skating.

    Second Place was awarded to Gary Ross for his photo of ducks in a pond.

    Third Place was awarded to Deborah Walton for her photo of a log in the woods.

     

    The community was encouraged to view all entries and vote online for their favorite photograph through the City’s website.

    The first place winning photo was featured in the City’s 2026 calendar with photographer credit, and additional finalist images were considered for inclusion in the calendar and other City marketing materials.

    All finalists received enlarged versions of their photographs from the exhibition, along with additional prizes awarded to the top three winners.

    The winners were formally recognized during an awards ceremony held in September.