2025 Photo Contest
Ice Lake Basin
by Kayla Mackel, '26
San Juan Mountains, Colorado
In this captivating snapshot during a hike up the Ice Lake Basin, we stopped to gaze upwards, enveloped in the undisturbed magnificence of the San Juan Mountains. Towering rocks allow for a stream of water to cross our path, while vibrant wildflowers dance from the trail's edge up to the mountain peaks. It served as a beautiful reminder to pause along the demanding journey, to admire the different perspectives the Colorado West provides, and to remember that the journey is just as beautiful as the destination. As we marvel at the brilliance captured in this moment, we're prompted to safeguard these pristine landscapes, ensuring that their beauty endures beyond our fleeting footsteps.
JUDGES ANNOUNCE WINNERS !!
1st Place
Stubborn Tree
Labyrinth Canyon
Utah
Photo by Tomas Michelangeli
The cottonwood tree is a native species associated with river landscapes of the west and southwest. Its populations have come under pressure through the human consumption of water and competition with invasive plants like salt cedar. Here, a cottonwood tree continues to stand despite the flood-prone canyon, having grown up against a rocky wall and being blocked by a boulder, a sign that native species are meant to thrive in the challenging conditions of the Southwest. Importantly, it continues to stand without interference from salt cedar and despite the year’s low water levels. The perseverance of this tree is an important reminder that protecting natural spaces also means protecting native species by controlling the spread of invasive ones. It also suggests our own water use and reminds us to be more mindful of how we use the limited resources that all life in the Southwest depends on.
Stubborn Tree speaks not only to the enduring strength of the cottonwood but also to the patient eye of the photographer. Much like conservation itself, this image is about timing. The tree has endured season after season of flood, drought, and competition, but its survival is not accidental — nor is the photographer’s ability to capture it in a way that compels us to notice. The act of creating this image mirrors the message of the artist’s statement: the need for patience, awareness, and decisive action, both in photography and in protecting the fragile ecosystems of the Southwest. -- Heather Oelklaus
2nd Place
A Peak into the Void
Pikes Peak
Colorado
Photo by Tomas Michelangeli
A century ago, “Pikes Peak was losing its open lands faster than nearly any other comparably sized region in the nation” - Palmer Land Conservancy
The results of this are evident to anyone who hikes Pikes Peak nowadays. Taking the Bar Trail up to the summit, you feel completely taken in by the mountain. That is, until you look behind you at the massive industrial pseudo urban sprawl that covers the eastern plains. At night, the east is lit up by city lights, and during the day, the buildings and bases are clear for all to see. But during that moment in between, just as the sun peeks over the horizon, you can’t see the sprawl at all. In that moment, all that exists is the mountain and the void. The beauty of this moment highlights how important it is that we continue to protect our public lands, that we stop encroachment onto natural spaces, and preserve the, yet unabused Rocky Mountain wilderness.
A Peak into the Void speaks volumes and evokes many emotions. The viewer might feel isolation or solace, fear or adventure, on top of the world or humbled by its immensity and magnificence. It could say we have the power to change our planet for the better or we have the potential to destroy it all. Photographically speaking, this image took effort quite literally, as it was taken on top of a 14,107-foot peak. Even being slightly underexposed, it works beautifully with the dark silhouette in the foreground and the sun’s deep oranges and reds in the distance. -- Jamie Cotten Heather Oelklaus
3rd Place
Dark Skies over Bears Ears
Valley of the Gods
Utah
Photo by Megan O'Brien, '26
This photo was taken late at night in the middle of the desert. Over the Fourth of July I traveled out to Southeast Utah to interview people and take some final light readings in Blanding and Monticello Utah while working for the State of the Rockies Project Dark Skies Team. The whole summer I had been trying to get a reading within the "no visible light" range. This night I was able to do so. It was so dark that my light meter didn't even work, but once I switched out my lens to a fisheye, the whole sky appeared on my camera in front of me. For me, this image represents something I had been looking for all summer. I had heard people speak about the sky in Bears Ears and why it was so worth protecting, but to see the stars for myself was something else entirely.
As photographers, we know how long it must have taken to achieve this photo. So “A” for effort and “A” for execution. Thanks in part to conservation efforts such as dark sky laws, it’s still possible to find places to take a photo this beautiful, but those places are becoming fewer and further between. Kudos for seeking out the dark to find the light. This image also required a fish-eye lens, a tripod no doubt, a long exposure, knowledge of where to find the best views of the Milky Way, and patience. Beautifully done.
--Jamie Cotten
People's Choice Winners
1st Choice: 100/227 Votes
Alpine Reflection
Colorado
Photo by Mary Cate Kiser, '27
1st Runner-up: 62/227 Votes
Sunrise Climbers
Grand Tetons
Wyoming
Photo by Alexandra Hyman
2nd Runner-up TIE: 6/227 Votes each
The State of the Rockies project invites students to submit up to three photos and a description of each photo(s) taken from the Rocky Mountain West that reminds us why, how, and/or what conservation efforts are necessary to preserve and protect nature. Students are required to describe how their photo submission(s) relate to a conservation topic covered by this year's State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll.
Students sent us photos they took from the Rocky Mountain West that shows us Top of Mind conservation issues in the West! Students are required to describe how their photo submission(s) relate to a conservation topic covered by this year's State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll.
Unsustainable Architecture (2024 Entry)
Eastern Colorado
This photo was taken in the plains of Eastern Colorado. It invites viewers to contemplate the fleeting nature of landscapes and structures in the region. Nestled within the often-overlooked expanse of arid and dry fields, the solitary building depicted stands as a testament to both resilience and impermanence. The structure pictured is made from cement that has outlived its residence and its surroundings. As Colorado’s infrastructure continues to rapidly expand, we must think in terms of building and consuming sustainably. Beyond mere conservation, this image compels us to consider responsible creation, thoughtful building practices, and harmonious coexistence with our environment.
Photo by Matan Fields, '26
This student event is made possible by funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and is sponsored by The Â鶹ÊÓƵ State of the Rockies Project.
Judges
Heather Oelklaus is the Print Work Shop Supervisor for the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Art Department. She has based her life around art for the last 30 years. After attending the Kansas City Art Institute, Heather moved to Colorado Springs where she has been creating artworks that incorporate her passion for photography, printmaking, sculpture, painting, fiber, and collage. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums and is held in private collections around the United States. Heather explores the boundaries of photography and experiments with alternative processes and technologies. When she is not creating photographs, she can be found plein air painting, weaving on her loom, and researching new techniques for her art making.
Jamie Cotten is an award-winning photojournalist, and the photographer/photo editor in the Office of Communications & Marketing at Â鶹ÊÓƵ.
As a freelancer for nearly two decades, her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, ESPN, San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, The Telegraph and in media outlets via Polaris Images, among others.
“It’s amazing to see the way people open up to photographer Jamie Cotten,” says former Colorado Life Magazine Assistant Editor Matt Masich. “Her genuine understanding of life puts her photo subjects at ease, letting her capture them as they truly are in unguarded moments.”
Jamie studied fine art photography at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in NYC before returning to her native Colorado where she graduated from Metropolitan State College of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and international business.
She then returned to the East Coast for eight years, where she frequently compiled story packages - finding, researching, reporting, writing, photographing and often shooting and producing video - solo.
Twice the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) awarded Jamie first place in feature photography - once for her photo story on an inspirational boxing coach who worked for free with inner-city youth, and once for her photo coverage of Burmese refugees in Colorado struggling to navigate the complicated U.S. legal system.
“My ultimate goal as a journalist is to help people relate to one another," Jamie says.
In her free time living back in Colorado, she runs, swims, plays classical piano and enjoys national and international adventures with her son.
Contest Rules
Submit your photos by emailing chines@coloradocollege.edu
Please send up to three photos taken in the Rocky Mountain Region. Submission Deadline, April 11 @ 1159PM.
Please submtit a photo description for each image that tells us why, how, or what conservation topic covered by the 2025 Conservation in the West Poll your image addresses. Please include where the photograph was taken.
Please submit photos at 600dpi.
You may share a link to a google folder or your one drive.
Judges announce 1st through 3rd place Winners on Earth Day.Popular Vote winner announced April 22rd.
1st place $500 2nd Place $250 3rd Place $100 Popular Vote winner $100