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(Des Moines, IA) -- The City of Des Moines is taking submissions for the 2025 Fall Tree Photo contest.
Residents and visitors can submit their photos of fall colors and foliage to the annual contest hosted by the city's Public Works Forestry Division. Photos can be taken with with a wide variety of devices including phones, cameras, drones, and more. All photos will be considered as long as they include a tree displaying fall colors within the city limits of Des Moines.
Des Moines City Forester Shane McQuillan tells WHO Radio News, "It's been a pretty cool thing to see how every year, people get pretty creative with their photos, and you see everything from photos on phones to people you can tell have got some high-level equipment, so it's a blast, but as long as a tree is in Des Moines, they can enter."
Photos can be submitted through October 31st, after which a committee will select a minimum of four finalists. There will be a public voting period where people vote for their favorite finalist. The winner of the grand prize will be able to select a species of tree from the City's Recommended Species List, and one will be planted in a public space for the community to enjoy.
Regarding the grand prize, McQuillan says, "What would be the only fitting prize for a competition like that is that they get to pick out a tree, and we plant a tree in Des Moines for everyone to enjoy. And if they've got a cool spot they like, we can work with them to, you know, try to find somewhere close."
Photos can be submitted through the City of Des Moines website.