Rep. Windhorst Announces Start of Third Annual ‘Southern Illinois is Beautiful’ Photo Contest

METROPOLIS - State Representative Patrick Windhorst has announced the start of the 2025 "Southern Illinois is Beautiful" photo contest. This will be the third year for the contest, which has drawn hundreds of submissions and thousands of votes from Southern Illinois residents.

Windhorst says he is looking forward to another great photo contest.

"As always, this year's 'Southern Illinois is Beautiful' Photo Contest will have two categories. Students aged Kindergarten through age 21 will make submissions in the 'Student' category, and adults 21 and older will compete in the 'Adult' category," Windhorst said. "Southern Illinois is home to some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, and we are blessed with many talented students and adults that I believe will make this year's 'Southern Illinois is Beautiful' photo contest exciting and fun to watch," Windhorst said. "We're asking folks to head out into the beauty of this region and submit their best Southern Illinois photograph. We have a lot to be proud of right here in beautiful Southern Illinois!"

Contest photos should be submitted via email to [email protected] by Friday, November 7, 2025, before midnight. Photo submissions must include the photographer's name and the location of the photo in Southern Illinois.

Three finalists will be chosen in each category. Voting will open on State Representative Patrick Windhorst's Official Facebook Page, @StateRepWindhorst, on Tuesday, November 11^th. Voting will close on Tuesday, November 25th at 5:00 PM. Finalists' photos will be made available on Rep. Windhorst's official Facebook page for voting. The photos earning the most likes and loves will be declared the winners. Winners will be announced at Noon on Monday, December 1, 2025. Winning photos will be displayed in Rep. Windhorst's Harrisburg and West Frankfort District Offices and in his Springfield Capitol office. Winning contestants will receive an official certificate of congratulations from the Illinois House of Representatives. All photograph submissions MUST be the original work of the photographer.

More details can be found by visiting Rep. Windhorst's official website at RepWindhorst.com or by visiting Rep. Windhorst's official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StateRepWindhorst.

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