{"id":576444,"date":"2026-07-31T02:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T02:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/576444\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T02:07:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T02:07:11","slug":"view-the-spectacular-nature-images-chosen-as-winners-of-2026-dnrec-photo-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/576444\/","title":{"rendered":"View the Spectacular Nature Images Chosen as Winners of 2026 DNREC Photo Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Images showcasing a close-up of a colorful hummingbird, a woman painting in a sunlit garden, two white egrets standing in a river, an old lighthouse flanked by a purple-blue sky and a dog swimming through the water as the sun rises were selected as the winners of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control\u2019s 2026 Photo Contest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Winners and Honorable Mentions
People Enjoying Nature
\u201cSpring\u201d by Vicente Pineda (winner)
\u201cMisty Morning Kayak\u201d by Paul Sylvia (HM)
\u201cRehoboth Bay Sunset\u201d by Natasha Bayus (HM)
\u201cChasing Sunsets\u201d by Gavin Garrison (HM)
Watersheds: Landscapes and Waterways
\u201cHarbor of Refuge\u201d by Bill Cheadle (winner)
\u201cMirrors on IR Bay\u201d by Lou Pugliese (HM)
\u201cMorning Mist at Trap Pond\u201d by Beth Baker (HM)
\u201cIndian River Inlet Bridge at Sunset\u201d by Josh Lynch (HM)
Wildlife and Aquatic Life
\u201cRuby-Throated Hummingbird\u201d by Jerry am Ende (winner)
\u201cWood Duck Rises\u201d by Brian Weyl (HM)
\u201cIncoming Owl\u201d by William Pully (HM)
\u201cAn Itchy Great Blue Heron\u201d by Robert Esswein (HM)
Hunting and Fishing
\u201cFirst Retrieve of the Morning\u201d by Fred Waski (winner)
\u201cHunting with Dad\u201d by Joseph Watson (HM)
\u201cFishing at Sunrise\u201d by Leslie Berger (HM)
\u201cMinnow-Catching\u201d by Hadrian Cerulean Cissell (HM)
Youth
\u201cEgrets\u201d by Emma Serbinski (winner)
\u201cThe First Sign of Spring\u201d by Brinley Summerfield (HM)
\u201cBeautiful Evening Sunset on the Bay\u201d by Logan Lanham (HM)<\/p>\n

More than 200 people submitted just over 300 images to the contest from mid-January to mid-April. Applicants mostly came from Delaware, but seven jurisdictions in all were represented, including Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virginia and even California.<\/p>\n

While DNREC has historically held a number of different photo contests across different programs, the agency opted in 2025 to combine them into one grand competition. That proved to be a smashing success, receiving hundreds of entries, with the top five unveiled during the Delaware State Fair.<\/p>\n

For 2026, the best images were again presented to the public in the DNREC Building at the fair by Gov. Matt Meyer and Secretary Greg Patterson, this time on July 30.<\/p>\n

The categories were the same as the year before: People Enjoying Nature, Watersheds: Landscapes and Waterways, Wildlife and Aquatic Life, and Hunting and Fishing. The judges also selected the best photograph taken by someone younger than 18, bringing the total number of honorees to five.<\/p>\n

Images were judged by a panel of artistically inclined Delawareans based on how well they met the competition criteria of visual effectiveness, originality\/creativity, universal appeal and message\/theme.<\/p>\n

Each winner earned a $500 gift card, two Delaware State Parks daily passes, a gift bag and an award certificate, and the 14 entrants named honorable mentions received gift bags and certificates as well.<\/p>\n

Outdoor Delaware connected with each of the talented shutterbugs to learn what inspired them and what it means to be selected.<\/p>\n

People Enjoying Nature<\/p>\n

\"A(Vicente Pineda)<\/p>\n

This self-explanatory category received 54 entries showcasing people kayaking, smelling flowers, surfing, walking on the beach and just being out in nature.<\/p>\n

Judges selected as their favorite \u201cSpring\u201d by Newark resident Vincente Pineda, who earned an honorable mention in 2025 for his image of two people watching the fountain at Nemours Estate through a field of flowers.<\/p>\n

He submitted three images to the 2026 contest, with his snapshot of a woman painting in a garden on a sunny day being selected by the judges as one of the very best. Around the woman are flowers, grasses and a wooden arbor, while a canvas on which she paints the pleasant scene stands in front of her.<\/p>\n

Pineda has had a passion for nature and photography his entire life, leading him to launch his own photography business in 2024. He took the snapshot during the Newark Arts Alliance\u2019s Garden Tour in the spring of 2025 and knew right away it was a memorable one.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as I pressed the shutter, I said, \u2018This, this is the image. I don\u2019t know what I\u2019m going to do with this photo, but I\u2019ll make it worth it.\u2019 And that is such a beautiful feeling,\u201d Pineda said. \u201cThis happens every time I\u2019m capturing someone or something. There is always that moment when I say, \u2018This is the one,\u2019 and would you like to know something, that photograph was the one, the one getting me the 2026 winner in the category of People Enjoying Nature.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watersheds: Landscapes and Waterways<\/p>\n

\"A(Bill Cheadle)<\/p>\n

Eighty snapshots were submitted for this category, which is meant to highlight the state\u2019s natural beauty at any time of year. Particular emphasis is placed on light, color, composition and balance, traits spectacularly embodied by Milton resident Bill Cheadle\u2019s image \u201cHarbor of Refuge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taken near sunset on a cruise in the Delaware Bay, the image features the Harbor of Refuge lighthouse, which is located about two-thirds of a mile off the coast of Cape Henlopen State Park\u2019s The Point. The towering structure looms over the rocks and water, while a purple-blue sky in the background contrasts with it.<\/p>\n

Cheadle has delighted in snapping images for decades, with a particular interest in landscapes and natural lighting. He enjoys documenting his experiences through photography, something he\u2019s been able to devote more time to since his recent retirement.<\/p>\n

Like so many, he finds venturing out into the wilderness, whether at the beach or in the woods, to be a pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy shot of Harbor of Refuge was taken from a sunset cruise on one of those classic summer days where the weather kept changing and thunderstorms\u00a0were a threat before and after the cruise,\u201d Cheadle said. \u201cThe time of day and lighting effects were exceptional for photography. I\u2019ve always loved lighthouses and was happy for the opportunity to capture this historic and iconic structure in these dramatic conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wildlife and Aquatic Life<\/p>\n

\"A(Jerry am Ende)<\/p>\n

A vibrant photograph of a hummingbird was picked as the winning image out of a whopping 139 submissions for this category, which was designed to focus solely on the mammals, reptiles, birds, fish and more that call Delaware home with no people included.<\/p>\n

\u201cRuby-Throated Hummingbird\u201d by Jerry am Ende is alive with color, from the blue-green tint of the bird\u2019s body feathers to the bright orange-red on its neck to the pink of the flowers it sips nectar from. The image was taken in the Pike Creek area where am Ende lives.<\/p>\n

He got his start in photography with his high school newspaper and yearbook in the early 1960s and has continued to pursue that passion, earning a number of awards for nature photography over the years. Being selected as a winner in the DNREC Photo Contest is just the latest feather in his cap.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a huge honor to have one of my images named an award winner in a state-wide photo contest,\u201d am Ende said. \u201cThe affirmation that a photograph of mine is recognized as a winner is its own reward. Only on very rare occasions have I ever sold any of my photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hummingbirds are among his favorite subjects to photograph. He captured this little bird\u2019s likeness with a Canon R5 Mark II mirrorless camera equipped with a Canon RF 100-500mm lens.<\/p>\n

Hunting and Fishing<\/p>\n

\"A(Fred Waski)<\/p>\n

Designed to showcase classic outdoor recreation, this category drew 24 entries, with Magnolia resident Fred Waski winning for his photograph \u201cFirst Retrieve of the Morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

In it, his son\u2019s dog, 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever Creek, emerges from the water carrying a wounded duck in his mouth. Ducks float calmly on the water behind Creek, while streaks of orange and yellow from a rising sun contrast with a gray sky and are reflected on the water.<\/p>\n

Waski entered the contest largely on a whim, not expecting his photograph would be selected by the judges. While he has little experience in photography and simply used his iPhone to snap the image in the spur of the moment, he felt the resulting picture perfectly captures his favorite aspects of waterfowl hunting.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpending time in nature with my family is the best thing in the world. Being in the outdoors brings a calm to me,\u201d he said. \u201cI was lucky enough to capture a picture of what I saw that morning, but as most know who spend time outdoors, we see things like this all the time. To me I\u2019m not sure there is anything prettier than watching the sun come up over a marsh while sitting in a duck blind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Youth<\/p>\n

\"Two(Emma Serbinski)<\/p>\n

Finally, judges selected the best image by a minor out of the nine submitted. Titled \u201cEgrets\u201d and taken by 13-year-old Emma Serbinski of Frederica, it\u2019s a pleasant picture of a snowy egret and a great egret wading in the water at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.<\/p>\n

Emma, who has been taking photography classes for the past two years, decided to enter the contest after an ad for it called to mind a recent trip to the refuge.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s especially fond of Delaware\u2019s coast and the wildlife that can be found there.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe natural world matters to me because there are so many species and habitats to explore and learn about. We only have one Earth, and caring about it matters a lot,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

DNREC\u2019s third annual photo contest is expected to begin accepting submissions in January, so stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Images showcasing a close-up of a colorful hummingbird, a woman painting in a sunlit garden, two white egrets…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":576445,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,308,93,61,60],"class_list":["post-576444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-artsdesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=576444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/576444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/576445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=576444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=576444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=576444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}