Winners of 2025 MidPen annual images contest

by Linda Hubbard on October 13, 2025

Each yr Midpeninsula Regional Open Space hosts a images contest, inviting the general public to submit as much as three photographs taken at a Midpen protect in six classes — Wildlife, Landscapes, Plant Life, People in Nature, Trail Less Traveled and Aspiring Photographers.

In its fifteenth yr of the competition, Midpen obtained over 200 submissions. These had been narrowed all the way down to finalists in every class by Midpen workers, and the winners had been chosen by the general public via Midpen’s social media accounts. Each class winner obtained a $100 REI present card and a swag bag.

“The contest is a fun way for people using everyday technology, like smartphones and cameras, to connect with nature close to home,” mentioned General Manager Ana Ruiz. “We hope people are inspired to explore their public open spaces, perhaps for the first time, and capture those moments of awe and wonder in nature.”

This yr’s Wildlife winner (pictured) is Don Vu, who writes:

“I know about this great horned owl family nesting each year in the middle of an aging but accommodating oak tree in Rancho San Antonio. On this evening, I decided to pay them a visit, having heard the owlets were prime for branching. Sure enough, there were three of them, and they moved about from branch to branch as the last rays of light dropped on them. It’s a joyful moment for me to see the young ones survived to that day for on many occasions they did not, mostly due to missteps from the nest at a younger age. What’s most amazing to me is seeing wildlife being gone then re-born every year for their life cycle seems to go on forever.”

View all the winners online.