Dubois County Museum names winners of 2026 photo contest

Aaliyah Bradford and Tasia Baker emerged as the biggest names in the Dubois County Museum’s 2026 Photo Contest, where 92 entries turned local snapshots into a countywide display of what residents chose to preserve. Bradford’s Bubble Fun won first place in the youth public vote, while Baker’s Woodland Watcher topped the adult category, giving the contest a strong mix of family, nature and everyday-life images.

The museum said 17 youth submissions and 75 adult submissions were entered overall, a showing that pushed the contest well beyond a small hobby exhibit. Public voting ran from May 1 through June 1, and visitors could cast one ballot per person per day with paid admission or a Museum pass. The contest was the museum’s third annual photo contest and used the theme “Your Favorite Photo,” with entries accepted April 15-30 for photographers ages 5 to 17 in the youth division and 18 and over in the adult division.

In the youth public vote, Elsie Betz took second place with Woodlands and Aaliyah Bradford placed third with Old Pro. In the adult public vote, Tasia Baker finished second with Calawba Falls and John Dillon took third with Autumn at Oxbow Bend. The titles alone suggest the range the museum drew from county photographers, from wooded scenes and falls to a portrait-style image and a look at the changing season.

Professional judges Bob McCarty and B. C. Baggett also reviewed the youth entries, giving Betz’s Woodlands first place, Aaliyah Bradford’s With Old Pro second place and Luis Bradford’s Precious Moments third. That parallel judging track gave the contest two ways to recognize work, one by the public and one by photographers with an eye trained on composition and craft.

The winning photos will remain on display through July 1 at the Dubois County Museum, 2704 N. Newton Street in Jasper. The nonprofit museum is operated entirely by volunteers and is funded by annual memberships, admissions, donations and gifts, making the contest part of a larger effort to keep Dubois County history, and the images residents create of their own lives, in front of the public.