2026 Kentucky Living Photo Contest winners
A BRILLIANT SUNRISE lights up Kentucky’s first state park. Fog softens the edges of a gentle bend in a one-lane country road. Fans watch a University of Kentucky football game under brilliant stadium lights. A farrier holds a horse’s hoof with an expert hand. Blackberries ripen on the cane.
With more than 2,700 submissions, this year’s Kentucky Living photo contest showcases the people, animals, landscapes and moments that make our state unique—and a special category celebrates America’s 250th birthday.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to see our state through your eyes. Congratulations to the winners, and to every person behind the lens. Your vision is what makes this contest special.
LANDSCAPES & SCENERY
1st place
MT. VERNON
“Sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time,” Robinson says. On this particular morning, the right place was Pine Mountain State Resort Park, as the sun came up over Chained Rock.
2nd place
CUMBERLAND VALLEY ELECTRIC MEMBER
An autumn view of the Bark Camp Creek Cascades, located within the Daniel Boone National Forest in Whitley County.
3rd place
TRI-COUNTY ELECTRIC MEMBER
On a warm summer morning in Adair County, a bend in the road invites exploration.
KENTUCKY TRAVELS
1st place
WEST KENTUCKY RECC MEMBER
Main Street Motors in Hartford has been restored to reflect its mid-century charm.
2nd place
LEXINGTON
Lyvers captures what she calls “the electric feelings and warm memories of a University of Kentucky football game.”
3rd place
BLUE GRASS ENERGY MEMBER
Sunlight glows on Natural Bridge in Slade.
AMERICA 250
1st place
BLUE GRASS ENERGY MEMBER
Miss Kentucky High School Rodeo Queen Macy Preston rides during the opening ceremonies of the third annual Woodford County Farm Bureau Rodeo.
2nd place
BOYLE COUNTY
Reenactors fire a cannon as a salute to the fallen from the battle of Perryville.
3rd place
JACKSON ENERGY MEMBER
Cousins Landon and Porter Oakley pause for a photo during family day at Fort Rucker in Alabama. “What an honor it was to witness our future U.S. military pilots in action,” Karen Oakley says.
ANIMALS
KENERGY MEMBER
A bald eagle perches on an icy branch in Henderson County.
2nd place
SALT RIVER ELECTRIC MEMBER
A red fox mother shares a playful moment with her kits at Cave Hill Cemetery.
3rd place
BREATHITT COUNTY
Wind catches a horse’s mane in Breathitt County.
PEOPLE
1st place
FINCHVILLE
A farrier shoes a horse at a farm in Finchville.
2nd place
MEADE COUNTY RECC MEMBER
Kiera Smith catches raindrops during a camping trip at Rough River Lake.
3rd place
KENERGY MEMBER
Tobi Mae takes a rest with her pet pig, Dolly Girl, in Hawesville.
PLANTS & FLOWERS
1st place
LEBANON
Raindrops glisten on a daylily in Lebanon.
2nd place
SHELBY ENERGY MEMBER
Milk thistle grows in a backyard pasture in Shelby County.
3rd place
BLUE GRASS ENERGY MEMBER
Blackberries ripen in Versailles.
