We’re looking for your very best photos of northern Minnesota’s landscapes, close-ups of plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Winning photos are featured in our annual wall calendar and on our social media accounts. Winning photographers will receive 3 copies of the calendar as well as a prize package. Grand prize winner will receive 3 copies of the calendar as well as a GoPro 12.

Submissions Accepted: August 4 – September 1, 2025
Winners Announced: October 1, 2025

Submission Requirements

Photos for the 2025 contest must be submitted via the online account between August 1 and September 1, 2025, and meet all the following requirements:

• Each photographer may submit up to three photos. Please note that drone photos will not be accepted.
• All photographs must be taken in northern Minnesota
• Photographs must be in a digital format such as JPEG or PNG at a minimum resolution of 3600 x 2700 pixels at 300 dpi at time of submission.
• Each photo must include the location and approximate date.
• Photos must be free of watermarks and graphics. (All photographers will be credited appropriately.)
• Photos included in the calendar will be horizontal (vertical photos should be cropped before submitting).
• Photos that do not meet all requirements will not be reviewed by the judging panel.
• Though not required, best efforts should be made to identify plants or wildlife in your photos—please include this information if applicable, e.g., a turkey vulture taking flight at sunrise.
• Please keep a safe distance and do not disturb wildlife when taking photos.

General Rules

By submitting your photos, you are confirming that the photos are your own work and you own the rights to distribute the images.

Photos should feature northern Minnesota landscapes, close-ups of plants, insects, birds and other wildlife, and pictures that highlight the seasons.

Photographers must obtain and supply, upon request, the name of and written permission from any person included in the photo entries, authorizing their image to be used in Cook Hospital & Care Center digital and/or print materials. (Entries of people for whom you are not able to supply the appropriate written releases will be disqualified.)

Photos including nudity, profanity, commercial or political interests, graffiti, or anything wildly off-topic are strictly prohibited. Cook Hospital & Care Center reserves the right to disqualify any photos that are deemed inappropriate.

Deadlines

• August 4 to September 1, 2025 – Submission period via online form.
• Fall 2025 – Winners and runners-up announced via email; photo album posted on the Cook Hospital & Care Center official Facebook account.
• Cook Hospital & Care Center reserves the right to adjust any deadline(s) as the result of causes beyond its immediate control.

Winning Photos & Judging Process

Winning photos will be featured in the annual wall calendar and on Cook Hospital & Care Center social media accounts. Each winning photographer will receive 3 copies of the calendar. One grand prize winner will be chosen to be featured on the cover of the calendar and also receive a GoPro 12

Cook Hospital & Care Center uses blind judging to select the contest winners. This means judges do not know the names of the photographers when deciding winning images. Cook Hospital & Care Center shall determine winner eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion. All decisions made by the judging panel are final.

The Cook Hospital & Care Center judging panel will select the contest winners and runners-up. Thirteen winners will be chosen by the panel:

• 1 calendar cover photo
• 12 featured month photos

The panel will also select up to 24 runner-up photos that may be featured on Cook Hospital & Care Center social media accounts, and on the Cook Hospital & Care Center website.

Cook Hospital & Care Center staff may participate in the staff photo contest. Members of the Cook Hospital & Care Center judging panel are not eligible to submit entries to the staff contest.

Please note: Winning photos may be cropped to fit the format of the calendar.

Photo Rights

Photographers retain all rights to photo entries. However, by submitting photos for contest entry, Cook Hospital & Care Center is automatically granted a royalty-free, nonexclusive, worldwide, irrevocable right, in perpetuity, to:

Publish, distribute, and otherwise use the submitted photos in any way, in whole or in part, in any format or media, now existing or later developed, for any lawful purpose, including, without limitation, using the submitted photo in its annual wall calendar, on its website, in connection with the photo contest, in connection with general marketing and promotional activities, and on its social media pages.

As a condition of this permission, Cook Hospital & Care Center shall credit all photos with the name of the photographer.

If you have any questions, please contact: marketing@cookhospital.org