LITTLE ROCK — Ready for her close-up, a handsome brown cow and the intricate textures of her tawny hair are the focus of nine-year-old Evelynn Wallace’s photo, which won Best in Show at the 2023 Ross Photography Contest.  

Sponsored by Arkansas 4-H, the Ross Photography Contest asks 4-H members to submit black and white or color photos of Arkansas subjects. The 2023 contest drew 465 student participants, with 50 of the state’s 75 counties represented. Of the entrants, 209 were new participants.  

Other category winners captured shots of fog rising along a quiet country road, nature’s reclaiming of an animal skeleton and the joys of wishing on a dandelion. For the contest, “living subjects” were limited to people and animals. 

One judge said that Wallace, a member of the Sebastian County 4-H Club, has a “really good eye for photography,” and that her winning shot of the brown cow was “udderly the best photo in the contest.”  

Kerry Rodtnick, extension photographer and videographer for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, coordinates the annual competition and said the quality of this year’s entries had improved, making the judges’ jobs tougher.  

“The judges had a hard time narrowing their choices down to just a few winners,” Rodtnick said. “The photographers seemed to be using sound photography composition, more so than in the past. The variety and creativity used for these photos were at a higher level. The judges look at technical skill within the photographs, but they also look at creativity and the effort put forth in capturing the image. They want to know that a photographer spent time and thought as they were taking it — not just grabbing a camera and snapping a photo of a friend.  

“Hopefully our competition encourages these kids to dig into photography practices so they can compete better each year,” he continued. “Maybe it will inspire future professional photographers. Or perhaps they will simply take better photos of their families as they grow. Both results make our contest a success.”  

At the state level, prizes were awarded in four categories to the first-, second- and third-place winners. The Best in Show winner was selected among the category winners. All winning photographs can be viewed in the Division of Agriculture Flickr album.  

The 2023 Ross Photography Contest winners are:  

Color Living 

1st — Evelynn Wallace, Sebastian County  

2nd — Kenzly Weaver, Independence County 

3rd — Emma Eubanks, Hot Spring County 

Black and White Living  

1st — Braylei Griffin, Washington County 

2nd — Rebecca Frealy, Fulton County  

3rd — Serenity Mora, Logan County 

Black and White Non-Living  

1st — Asa Eddington, Craighead County 

2nd — Chloie Thomas, Washington County 

3rd — Cailyn Smith, Montgomery County 

Color Non-Living 

1st — David Culver, Franklin County 

2nd — Isabella Hays, Pope County 

3rd — Ethan Doss, Stone County 

Best in Show  

Evelynn Wallace, Sebastian County 

The Arkansas 4-H youth development program is operated by the Cooperative Extension Service, part of the Division of Agriculture.