Treasurer Michael Frerichs Proclaims Winners of 2026 Cream of the Crop Photography Contest

Students Earn Bright Start Scholarships, and Their Photos Will be Displayed at Illinois State Fair

Key Points:

• Young individuals ages 8 to 18 participated within the photograph contest, which focuses on Illinois agriculture.
• First-, second-, and third-place winners in every of three age classes are receiving Bright Start scholarships of as much as $1,000.
• Winning pictures can be displayed on the Treasurer’s Tent through the 2026 Illinois State Fair.

State Treasurer Michael Frerichs has introduced the successful photographers for the 2026 Cream of the Crop Photography Contest, which gives Illinois college students with a inventive alternative to share their imaginative and prescient of agriculture in our state. The high 9 photographers, ages 8 to 18, can be awarded Bright Start 529 school financial savings scholarships.

“Congratulations to the young Illinoisans who explored their surroundings, tapped into their creativity, and experimented with their photographic skills by participating in our Cream of the Crop contest,” Frerichs stated. “These students’ photos truly reflect the beauty and diversity of Illinois agriculture, which is second to none.”

The successful images can be displayed August 13-23 on the Illinois State Fair within the Treasurer’s Tent. You can see the pictures of the highest three finishers in every of the three age classes on the State Treasurer’s web site. Winning entries and different photograph submissions can be featured within the 2026-2027 Ag Invest calendar, and the first-place pictures additionally can be displayed within the foyer of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office constructing in downtown Springfield. An inventory of the winners could be discovered beneath.

The contest consisted of three age teams — ages 8-10, 11-14 and 15-18. In every age class, first-place winners will obtain a $1,000 Bright Start 529 scholarship, second-place winners will obtain a $500 scholarship, and third-place winners will obtain a $250 scholarship.

Treasurer Frerichs administers the Bright Start 529 and Bright Directions 529 packages to help households in saving and investing for increased training bills resembling at a college or school, group school, commerce college or apprenticeship. For extra info, go to BrightStart.com and BrightDirections.com.

The 2026 Cream of the Crop contest attracted 152 entries from college students throughout Illinois. A panel of judges chosen the successful pictures. The judges have been Scott Rhoads, regional president of Carrollton Bank; Gary Mueller, vp of Havana National Bank; and Mary Morgan, vp of Compeer Financial.

About 1,000 college students have participated within the contest because it started in 2013.

The Cream of the Crop contest is a part of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Ag Invest program. Ag Invest presents mortgage alternatives for Illinois farmers and agri-businesses to begin, broaden, or add worth to their farm operations. As one of many nation’s largest agricultural linked deposit packages, Ag Invest has supported greater than 13,000 debtors and partnered with greater than 80 monetary establishments since 2015, when Frerichs grew to become treasurer.

8-10 Age Bracket Winners

First Place: Hadley G., Hello Brown Eyes, Arenzville (Cass County)
Second Place: Eleanor W., Pasture, Jacksonville (Morgan County)
Third Place: Skye P., Progress, Danville (Vermilion County)

11-14 Age Bracket Winners

First Place: Carter S., Cutting Wheat, Windsor (Shelby County)
Second Place: Graham C., Beginning to Sprout, Camargo (Douglas County)
Third Place: Jesse S., Grain Elevator, Petersburg (Menard County)

15-18 Age Bracket Winners

First Place: Abram W., Corn Rows, Jacksonville (Morgan County)
Second Place: Hope N., History, Smithton (St. Clair County)
Third Place: Olivia C., We’re Ready, Bunker Hill (Macoupin County)

Treasurer Frerichs has invited the first-place winners to an Aug. 14 reception on Agriculture Day on the State Fair.

*Note: Please contact us should you’d prefer to interview the winners and their households, and we’ll assist make the connections.

Media Contacts

Eric Krol 312.814.1252
Adriana Colindres 217.558.1920

About the Treasurer

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is a robust financial engine that invests in individuals to drive prosperity, improvement and progress all through the state. As State Treasurer, Michael Frerichs (FRAIR’iks) is the state’s Chief Investment and Banking Officer and actively manages roughly $60 billion. The investments assist households pay for faculty and commerce college; employees save for a dignified retirement; and native governments course of invoice funds extra effectively to allow them to move alongside the financial savings to taxpayers. The workplace gives monetary establishments with cash to mortgage to farmers, small enterprise homeowners, and certified people at below-market charges as a result of higher jobs create stronger communities. The workplace operates the state’s largest consumer-protection initiative, the lacking cash ICash program, which has returned a record-breaking $2.6 billion since Frerichs was elected.

For extra information in regards to the State Treasurer’s Office, please join our newsletter and observe Treasurer Frerichs on YouTube at @TreasurerMichaelFrerichs, Instagram at IL Treasurer, Threads @iltreasurer, LinkedIn and on Facebook at Invested in You – Treasurer Michael Frerichs.