Fall/Winter 2025 Issue
Nevada Photographers

2025 Great Nevada Picture Hunt Results

Each year, Nevada Magazine & Visitor Guide challenges readers to submit their best photos taken around the state.
Fall/Winter 2025 Issue
The Great Nevada Picture Hunt 2025
Kippy Spilker
By Kippy Spilker | September 3, 2025

Best In Show

GRAND PRIZE, MISTY ONEIL EPSTEIN
Nikon Z8, 1/250s, f/6.3, ISO 800

“When hiking to look for wildlife in the Las Vegas wash, I always pass this view of the Las Vegas Strip and the Spring Mountains. This past January, it was exciting to see a great blue heron resting on the water’s edge. He gave me a few minutes to take the shot I was hoping to get before he flew off.”

©Misty Oneil Epstein

©Misty Oneil Epstein

Cities & Towns

CITIES & TOWNS, WINNER, HUGH BYRNE
Nikon Z6, 1/30s, f/6.3, ISO 800

“It is a rare day when we get steady rain in Las Vegas. I targeted the plaza in front of the Venetian for some reflection shots but didn’t get anything great. Heading back to the Palazzo, I noticed this composition with the wet sidewalk and retro streetlights. The telephoto compression makes The STRAT look a lot closer than it is.”

©Hugh Byrne

©Hugh Byrne

©Rick Pott

©Rick Pott

CITIES & TOWNS, RUNNER-UP, RICK POTT
Sony A7, 13s, f/1.8, ISO 3200

“My first night at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park was unforgettable. In this shot, the Milky Way stretches above an old, broken truck.”

For the first time ever, in addition to these winning photos, we are publishing all the semi-finalists online as well. Please check out the albums posted at the end of each section to see even more outstanding Nevada images that were in the running to win this year’s contest.

Art Director’s Note

CITIES & TOWNS SEMI-FINALISTS:

Las Vegas buildings, including an Eiffel Tower replica. Blue skies with puffy white clouds.
©Chris Dickerson
Long exposure shot of a ghost town building with an antique piano in front of it. Star trails in a circular pattern in the sky.
©Therese Iknoian
A historic church lit up at night.
©MaryLou Schindler
Las Vegas at night, lit up, with mountains in the background and a large orange moon with a few stars in the sky.
©Leo Ruickbie
A brick building with a bell tower. On the bricks is painted "1864 STOREY COUNTY"
©Katie Blood
A mountain town lit up at dusk, with snowy mountains surrounding.
©Paul Horsley
A ghost town setting with old wood and metal on the ground. An old rusted car sits in the middle of all of it, with the sun setting in a cloudy sky.
©Jesse Bradford
A hot air balloon with a Battleborn Nevada design rises above the state Capitol building.
©Sherri McGee
Las Vegas buildings, including an Eiffel Tower replica. Blue skies with puffy white clouds.
©Clayton Fox
Buildings in downtown Reno, with snowy mountains and cloudy skies in the background.
©Janis Knight
An antique wooden wagon sits in the snow, with other antiques surrounding. There is a sunburst showing, with a cloudy blue sky.
©Martin Gollery
A park is lit up for winter holidays. It is dusk, there are mountains behind the scene, and pink clouds in a dark blue sky.
©Bill Gosma
A wet street in Reno, shot from high up. Buildings are lit ad car lights are reflecting off the road.
©Jesse Bradford
A neon figure waving a sign that reads "howdy." Cactus Jacks Casino, with a historic brick building and clock tower in the background.
©Bill Gosma
Long exposure shot of a Las Vegas street at night. Neon lights, traffic, and people.
©Hugh Byrne
The inside of an old ghost town building, with a transferred black and white print of a woman on one wall.
©Gabriel De Leon
Street scene at dusk in Henderson's Water Street District. Pink clouds at sunset, and lit city in the background. Cars create light trails on the roads.
©Wally Hawkins
A stone/brick building in a ghost town, with a sunburst showing through and blue skies above.
©Scott Mortimore
Burning Man art. Two semi trucks with stylized containers on the background, connected and rising into the air, surrounded by palm trees and a park-like setting.
©Clayton Fox
The inside of an old ghost town building, with a transferred black and white print of a woman with two babies on the walls.
©Gabriel De Leon

Birds

Winner, Michael Bittle
Sony A7, 1/400s, f/11, ISO 10

“One morning, I went to Amargosa Big Dune Recreation Area to get some sunrise shots. I was standing next to my car, focused on flying my drone, when I heard this crunching sound. I looked to my right and saw a huge shadow on the ground. An ostrich was 5-10 feet away from me. It wasn’t aggressive—it was probably thinking the same thing I was: What are YOU doing here?! I got in my car. It came to my window and tapped with its beak a few times. I tapped back to try and get it away. After about 5 minutes, it walked away. I got out and started taking as many pictures as I could. I don’t know if it escaped from somewhere or was someone’s pet. I just knew I had to document it because nobody was going to believe me.” 

An ostrich stands in the middle of desert scrub. There is a sand dune and mountains in the background.

©Michael Bittle

©Anthony Montoya

BIRDS RUNNER-UP, ANTHONY MONTOYA
Canon R6, 1/320s, f/8, ISO 400

An unfazed American kestrel braves a snowstorm in Ruby Valley. 

BIRDS SEMI-FINALISTS:

An owl reflected in a body of water as it stands along the edge.
©Misty Oneil Epstein
A blue heron standing on a rock, lit golden by the sun. There is a river and rocks in the background.
©Gabriel DeLeon
An osprey with wings outstretched scoops its talons in the water. Its third eyelids are closed as it dives for food.
©Ken Huynh
A bald eagle sitting in a pine tree. There are long pine needles and a pine cone in front of its body.
©MaryLou Schindler
A bald owl flying with a fish in its talons. Water droplets surround the bird and there are ducks and mergansers in the background.
©Randy Rascati
A hawk landing on a tree, with wings out wide.
©Randy Becker
A man sits on a rock, with pigeons surrounding and landing on him.
©Wally Hawkins
A barn owl looks at the photographer as it stands on some dark rocks.
©Roger Ports
An ostrich stands in the middle of desert scrub. There is a sand dune and mountains in the background.
©Michael Bittle
A coot with black body, yellow feet, and white beak, runs atop the water.
©Mark Frazitta
A sassy-looking green hummingbird with its mouth open, looks at the camera, while sitting on a small branch.
©Gabriel DeLeon
A brown bird with black eye mask eats a blue berry from a bush it is sitting on.
©Janis Knight
A barn owl flies through the sky. It is lit by a warm light to the left and has fully outstretched wings, with its back to the camera.
©Kim Steed
A blue bird sits atop a Joshua Tree, with lots of desert plants in the background.
©Jessica Lambert
A blue heron is reflected in the water, and red sunlight is reflecting off the water behind it. The scene is photographed in smoky conditions.
©Scott Mortimore
Two ibises, with white bodies, brown wings, orange heads, and long curved beaks, walk together through the water.
©Ken Huynh
A black bird with red eyes stands on a thin branch.
©Clayton Fox
An owl wraps its wings around itself, looking at the camera.
©Clayton Peoples
A bald eagle takes flight in a field, along with Canada geese and mallard ducks.
©Sherri McGee

Landscape

LANDSCAPE, WINNER, SCOTT MORTIMORE
Nikon Z7, 1s, f/16, ISO 80

“I love the anonymity of Nevada and how it rewards those who venture a little further, as in this scene from the High Rock Canyon Wilderness. On this August evening, a monsoon was on its way out at the same time the sunset was varnishing sprigs of sage and casting shadows across mesas.” 

landscape desert in Nevada

©Scott Mortimore

Wintery mountain pass in Nevada

©Jesse Bradford

LANDSCAPE, RUNNER-UP, JESSE BRADFORD
Nikon Z7, 30s, f/13, ISO 64

Perigo beef

“It seems, once a year (usually around Christmas), a special cloud inversion happens across the Carson Valley. While it creates hazardous freezing fog conditions in the valley itself, driving up Kingsbury Grade gets you above the clouds to this surrealistic view of the Sierra Nevada rising from the abyss.”

LANDSCAPE SEMI-FINALISTS:

A lush green mountain scene with white puffy clouds in a dark blue sky, reflected in a foreground pond.
©Anthony Montoya
Vibrant rainbow-colored aurora in a starry sky, with mountains in the distance, and all reflected in a body of water in the foreground.
©Jim Berryman-Shafer
Layered landscape of brown scrub-covered desert mountains, water, and snowy mountains in the background.
©Scott Mortimore
A paved road winds its way through the desert, toward snowy mountains in the distance. Puffy white clouds in a blue sky.
©Michael Monroe
A large full moon rises along a mountain ridge with pine trees standing in front of it.
©Randy Rascati
Subtle aurora borealis lights the starry sky with pinks and purples, reflected in a body of water with lit buildings and traffic surrounding.
©Beth Breton
An art installation in the desert, with large stacked boulders painted in vibrant colors. Mountains and an orange/yellow sunset in the background.
©Michael Bittle
A bristlecone pine with a heart-shaped hole in it. The sky is partly cloudy and partly full of stars, with a moon rising in the distance, behind silhouetted pines and mountains.
©Therese Iknoian
A mountain range with bands of red rock running through it. Green valley in the foreground ad puffy white clouds with blue skies above.
©Clayton Fox
A view from road level, of a desert highway disappearing into the distance, among mountains. Wispy white clouds in a dark blue sky.
©Katie Blood
Desert scene with joshua trees, yucca, and sagebrush. Mountains in the background, and a golden sunset/sunrise with lots of clouds in a blue sky.
©Wally Hawkins
A large orange/yellow moon in a dark sky, above mountains and a body of water.
©Janis Knight
A stormy golden desert scene, with a road disappearing into the distant mountains, and storm clouds dropping rain. There is a slight rainbow in the distance.
©Val Hatcher
An aerial shot of a snowy mountain pass. A snow-covered road winds through the valley.
©Anthony Montoya
A bright full moon cuts through wispy clouds, behind clay ruins in the desert.
©Paul Horsley
An abandoned building in the desert, at night. The sky is full our clouds, including a shooting one right above the building.
©Rick Pott
A desert scene with rocks jutting up from the ground, shot from above.
©Roger Ports
A ranch house with windmill and trees covered in hoarfrost, with low clouds and snowy mountains in the background.
©Bill Gosma
Black and white photo of an old cemetery in the desert.
©Katie Blood
A pebbled stream in the foreground, with tall mountains banded in red in the background. Clouds in a pale blue sky.
©John Harrison
Desert scene with yucca and sagebrush, red-banded mountains in the background, and a pink and purple sunset in the sky.
©Tori Bird
A person stands on the edge of a valley among tall red rocks. White clouds in a blue sky above.
©Gabriel De Leon
Red rocks jut out from the sagebrush-covered desert. Stormy clouds in the background.
©Gabriel De Leon
A snowy mountain range with snowy roads below. Cloudy skies.
©Ken Huynh
A desert scene with dirt road, sagebrush, mountains, clouds, and a sign that reads "OPEN RANGE."
©Alicia Arana
Desert scene with yucca and sagebrush, mountains in the background, and a fiery orange and yellow sunset in the sky.
©Tori Bird

People

PEOPLE, WINNER, JIM SHAFER
Nikon Z8, 1/250, f/22, ISO 1250

“A man dancing at the Numaga Powwow in Hungry Valley. Presented by the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, this multi-day event—which is open to the public—brings American Indians from around the U.S. and Canada.”

Tribal dancer in Nevada

©Jim Berry Shafer

Hunter in Nevada

©Anthony Montoya

PEOPLE, RUNNER-UP, ANTHONY MONTOYA
Canon R6, 1/160, f/4, ISO 200

Anthony Montoya pauses to take in the stunning scenery of Lamoille Canyon while scouting during his archery hunt.

PEOPLE SEMI-FINALISTS:

Black and white image of a woman bartender wearing a cowboy hat and mixing a drink.
©Paul Luscher
A man rides a bucking horse at a rodeo. Other men in the background, with a cloudy sky.
©Katie Blood
A person wearing a cowboy hat walks a horse alongside a roadway. Large trees and a barn in the background.
©Kim Steed
A woman dressed in yellow, gray, and black sequined outfit, with a large feathered headdress, seems to blow a kiss to the photographer. There are crowds of people behind her.
©Hugh Byrne
A man rides a penny-farthing, or high-wheel bicycle. There are crowds of people behind him.
©Kathy Trujillo
Three young girls in pink flowery dresses and face paint, dance on a stage.
©Kim Steed
A train conductor stands on a step of a train and waves at the camera.
©Therese Iknoian
Two people riding bikes along a road that disappears into tall red-ribboned mountains in the background. Soft white clouds in a blue sky.
©Clayton Fox
A man stands on top of a snowy rock, overlooking forest and Lake Tahoe in the background, with snowy mountains all around and puffy white clouds in a blue sky.
©Martin Gollery
A person wearing a headlamp stands beside ruins of a clay building. Partly cloudy sky, with stars showing through.
©Paul Horsley
Black and white image of a man sitting on a barstool in what looks like an old bar, looking out a window.
©Paul Luscher
A person leans against a rock, in a tall rocky canyon.
©Gabriel De Leon
A young person in a baseball uniform dives to catch a ball.
©Randy Rascati
A person and young child sit on a rock beside a body of water, while surrounded by flying pigeons, seagulls, and Canada geese.
©Mark Frazitta
A black and white image of a person whose feet are on a small surfboard that looks like it's just lifted out of the water. The person is holding onto strings that presumably go to some sort of kite. There are mountains and stormy clouds in the background, and the person is mostly silhouetted.
©Martin Gollery
A person stands on a hillside, overlooking tree covered mountains, with presumably a camera or binoculars up to their face. Blue sky.
©Laramie Aguilar
Black and white photo of a person dressed in old-time clothing, smoking a cigar, with backlit cigar smoke swirling around.
©Sherri McGee
A young baseball enthusiast licks mustard off his lips while an adult holds onto a hot dog behind him.
©Hugh Byrne
A person stands on a snowy hillside, with a heavy-duty snow vehicle, overlooking forests and Lake Tahoe, with snowy mountains surrounding.
©Scott Mortimore
Black and white photo of people on motorcycles, scowling at the camera.
©MaryLou Schindler
A person stands on a hillside, silhouetted in front of strong pink and white striated aurora, with stars showing through.
©Femke Mortimore

Waterscape

WATERSCAPE, WINNER, JESSE BRADFORD
Nikon Z7, 6s, f/16, ISO 64

“Often overlooked by motorists racing between Carson City and Reno, Washoe Lake really is a special place. I wanted to showcase its beauty and capture it after fresh snow. Conditions lined up perfectly to capture Slide Mountain reflected through the ice.”

Snowy waterscape in Nevada

©Jesse Bradford

Colorado River near Lake Mead in Nevada

©Michael Bittle

WATERSCAPE, RUNNER-UP, MICHAEL BITTLE
Sony A7, 1/100s, f/1.4, ISO 640

“This was shot coming back from a Maverick Helicopter Grand Canyon sunset tour. As the sun was setting, the water looked cool and calm while its color and shadows changed.” 

WATERSCAPE SEMI-FINALISTS:

A flooded field with sagging wire fencing. Mountain and cloudy sky are reflected in the still water.
©Carol Jackson
A desert lake with mountains in the background and cloudy blue skies.
©Janis Knight
Stormy desert lake with a walkway leading out to it and a rainbow caused by the water spray. Green mountains in the background.
©MaryLou Schindler
A desert lake with glowing mountains around it, cloudy skies, and flowering cactus in the foreground.
©Gabriel De Leon
Desert lake surrounded by plants, with orange and yellow sunset in the cloudy sky.
©Wally Hawkins
Desert lake surrounded by mountains, taken from above, golden hues in the sky and ground.
©Ken Huynh
Desert river, with low-hanging clouds along the base of tall mountains annd blue skies in the background, all reflected in the water.
©Sherri McGee
Desert lake with mountains in the background and cloudy blue sky.
©Tori Bird
Desert lake with mountains in the background, an a small peninsula with palm trees silhouetted against a yellow and orange sunset, all reflected in the water.
©Wally Hawkins
A small dam/waterfall with green mountains in the background and flowers in the foreground.
©David Montrose
A desert lake filled with white birds. Snowy mountains in the background, and cloudy light blue skies.
©Diana Burton-Raschen
An aerial shot of a motorboat on Lake Tahoe, with snowy mountains and cloudy blue skies in the background.
©Elliot Gilfix
Aerial shot of a remote mountain lake, surrounded by trees, mountains and desert plants. Clouds in a blue sky.
©Anthony Montoya
Stormy water crashing over rocks, with mountains in the background and crepuscular rays of sunlight breaking through the clouds in the sky.
©Martin Gollery
A long-exposure photo of a river coming off a large lake, with snowy mountains and streaky blue skies in the background.
©Scott Mortimore
Desert river with trees on either side, in autumn. Leaves are green, red, yellow, and orange. The sky is cloudy.
©Catrinna Schulz
Desert lake with mountains in the background and crepuscular rays of sunlight breaking through a cloudy sky.
©Kathy Trujillo
A remote mountain lake, with trees, mountains, and clouds in a blue sky reflected in the water.
©Gabriel De Leon
People with a small boat along the shoreline of a blue/green desert lake.
©Chris Dickerson
Snowy river scene, with gray cloudy skies.
©Alicia Arana
A person windsurfing out in a mountain lake. Mountains in the background, light blue sky.
©Diana Burton-Raschen
Purple-tinted image of a desert lake with lightning strikes in a storm.
©John Harrison

Wildlife

WILDLIFE, WINNER, KEN HUYNH
Sony A1, 1/640s, f/4, ISO 3200

 “Got a tip from my good friend, and the next morning I found myself face-to-face with five curious female pronghorn. I waited, they watched, and for one split moment everyone stood still in this perfect symmetry.” 

Pronghorn in Nevada

©Ken Huynh

Foxes in Nevada

©Misty Oneil Epstein

WILDLIFE, RUNNER-UP, MISTY ONEIL EPSTEIN
Nikon Z8, 1/1600s, f/4, ISO 200

“When we go on our long, rugged hike near Henderson, it’s always hit-or-miss to see a fox. But that day, my wish came true. He was so beautiful, sitting serenely on the rocks, his tail flowing gracefully over.”

WILDLIFE SEMI-FINALISTS:

A male bighorn sheep lifts its upper lip and shows tongue and teeth to the camera.
©Wally Hawkins
A female bighorn sheep stands up on a hillside, surrounded by sagebrush. There are puffy white clouds in the background.
©Laima Swanson
Black and white image of a dark mustang with snow on its face, looking toward the camera.
©Rick Pott
Black and White image of a herd of mustangs heading up a hill with sagebrush. There are mountains and stormy skies in the background.
©Rick Pott
An adult and baby black burro stand in profile among desert plants.
©Darrin Bush
A brown horse grazes in a field amid desert plants, with mountains in the background.
©Alicia Arana
A young bear clings to a tree and is looking at the camera. It is brown and its claws are dug into the tree bark a little. There are green leaves over its head.
©Kim Steed
A brown mustang and tan mustang are fighting among desert scrub. Many other horses are running away. There are mountains in the background.
©Kristi Johnson
A mountain goat makes its way down a vertical rock face. Snowy mountains in the background.
©Anthony Montoya
Two female bighorn sheep, with one younger one, stand on a hillside with rocks and sagebrush all around.
©Roger Ports
A wet beaver sits in a shallow pond, looking toward the camera. There are rocks in the foreground and water plants in the background.
©Randy Rascati
A coyote digs in the fresh snow.
©Scott McDaniel
A small fox peers out of a hole in red desert rock.
©Jameswu Tang
A small fox pokes its head out from behind some desert bushes, seemingly smiling at the camera.
©Misty Oneil-Epstein
A brown foal nuzzles up against another brown mustang.
©Paul Horsley
A chipmunk sits on a log, looking at the camera.
©Randy Rascati
A small group of mustangs stand outside an abandoned house. One dark brown mustang is coming back out through one of the doorways. There are desert plants all around, and mountains in the background.
©Sherri McGee
A male bighorn sheep stands on a rock shelf, with red rock all around.
©Martin Gollery
A close-up photo of a cicada on the ground.
©Clayton Fox
Two brown mustangs in a green field, fighting. One has its back legs extended out in a kick and the other's head is snapping back from having just been kicked.
©Ken Huynh

Check our Spring/Summer issue and our social media channels in spring of 2026 for more information on the next Great Nevada Picture Hunt!

Next Year’s Contest
Kippy Spilker
Kippy Spilker
Creative Manager
Location: Carson City
Having studied art and graphic design in India, and with a degree from Western Michigan University, Kippy has worked professionally in print media since 1995. Currently Travel Nevada’s creative manager, and Nevada Magazine & Visitor Guide’s art director, she endeavors to immerse herself in all things creative. Always chasing the next adventure (but with a bum knee from totaling a motorcycle), she has recently invested in an eBike, so she can explore areas previously inaccessible to her. You should not engage with her in conversations about travel, photography, kayaking, or dogs, unless you have some real time to kill.
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