The City of Valdosta is proud to partner again with the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts for the 15th Annual Valdosta People’s Choice Photo Contest. The local tradition invites people to capture the beauty of Valdosta and Lowndes County on camera.

"The City of Valdosta is excited to collaborate with the Turner Center for the 15th Annual Photo Contest. This annual event is not only a way to showcase our local talent, it allows us to continue our partnership with an amazing organization, the Turner Center. We are so thankful for our sponsors' support again," said Community Relations and Marketing Manager Sharah' Denton.

This year’s photo contest sponsors are Coleman Talley and Valdosta Main Street. Photos entered into the photo contest will be printed on canvas wrap and hung in the Art Center Tillman Gallery. A $12 fee for one photo or a $20 fee for two photos will be applied to have your photo printed on the canvas.

Interested individuals are welcome to submit up to two entries; however, all photographs must be taken within the Lowndes County limits. Entries must be electronically submitted to here or by emailing applications and photos to [email protected] by May 19, 2023, where they will be displayed in the Center’s Tillman Gallery beginning June 12.

"Each year, the Turner Center looks forward to hosting the People's Choice Voting and the Awards Ceremony in our beautiful art galleries," said Executive Director Sementha Mathews. "We encourage all community members to embrace the art of photography and get out and capture the splendor of our Valdosta, Lowndes County in print."


An opening reception will be held at the Turner Center on June 12 to kick off the people’s choice voting, which will run until July 17. For five weeks, the public can view and vote for their favorite photo entries.

This year's contest categories are:

City Life: Showcase the best parts of living in one of the Cities in Lowndes County (Valdosta, Lake Park, Remerton, and Hahira).
Country Living: Exhibit the best of living in the rural areas in Lowndes County.
People's Choice Adult: Don't have a photo that fits those categories? We love seeing every beautiful photo captured in our community.
People's Choice Youth: The public will vote on the Youth Best in Show

The deadline to enter the contest is Friday, May 19, 2023.

All submitted photographs should reflect the life and beauty within Lowndes County.

Overall winners and honorable mentions for the adult photos and the overall Best of Show award for Youth will be announced at a reception at the arts center on Monday, July 24, from 5- 7 p.m., and monetary prizes will be awarded to all winners.

The 2023 photo contest will continue to feature a category for younger photographers ages 16 and under.

All photographs will remain on display in the Tillman Gallery through July 26. Winning photos will also become part of a traveling exhibition that can be viewed from August until December in various city locations. All other images will be returned to the photographer following the contest.

No professional skills or special equipment is required to enter. For more information, call the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts at 229-247-2787 or the city’s Public Information Office at 229-259-3548.