This contest is now closed. Winners will be announced 7/15
SYNC Presents the
250 All-American Photo Contest 🇺🇸
Celebrate 250 Years of America Through Your Lens
No categories. No pressure. Just one theme.
Single-theme • Open-format • All Styles Welcome
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, we’re inviting photographers from across the country to capture what makes America special.
What does America look like through your lens?
From small towns to big skies, fireworks to Friday night lights,
family, freedom, and everything in between... we want to see your take on America.
Celebrate America.
Share your creativity.
Have your work seen and celebrated by photographers across the country.
Cash Prizes • Vendor Prizes • National Recognition
Featured Awards
• Judges' Choice Winner
• 🇺🇸 America’s Choice Award
• Vendor Partner Prizes
How It Works
Entry Details
- Submit images that represent the spirit of America
- All styles welcome: portrait, sports, scenic, documentary, creative
- Single-theme, open-format contest
- $10 per image
- Unlimited entries
- Fun. Creative. Community-driven.
____________________________________________________________________
Who Can Enter
The SYNC 250 All-American Photo Contest is open to photographers of all experience levels across the United States.
____________________________________________________________________
Prizes & Recognition
We’re celebrating 250 in a big way with cash prizes, vendor partner prizes, and national recognition.
🏆 Grand Prize (Judges' Choice Winner)
- $250 Cash Prize
- Benro MiniMax 250th Anniversary Special Edition Monopod - Arlington Camera
- Miller's Signature Album - Miller's Professional Imaging
- Madison Photo Works - $200 Gift Card for services
- Featured Recognition by SYNC
- Featured Across SYNC Promotional Channels
🇺🇸 America’s Choice Award
- Community Voted Winner
- Benro MiniMax 250th Anniversary Special Edition Monopod - Arlington Camera
- Madison Photo Works $100 Gift Card for services
- Featured Recognition by SYNC
- Featured Across SYNC Promotional Channels
____________________________________________________________________
Award Selection & Voting
This contest celebrates creativity, storytelling, and the spirit of America — while still reflecting the quality you expect from SYNC.
Theme:What does America look like through your lens?
Award Selection Criteria (What the judges will be looking for):
- Impact – Does the image grab attention?
- Story – Does it represent the spirit of America?
- Execution – Is it well-crafted technically?
In addition to the judges’ selection, a separate America’s Choice winner will be determined by photographer voting.
This contest is designed to be fun, creative, and inspiring—while still reflecting the quality and standards you expect from SYNC.
Judges' Choice Award
A panel of judges will review all submitted images. Each judge will select their group of finalists.
From those finalists, each judge will vote for their top three images. Each vote counts as one point, and the image with the highest total number of votes will be named the Grand Prize winner.
In the event of a tie, judges will conduct a final vote to determine the winner.
America’s Choice Award
All images will be featured in a public voting gallery, where photographers and the community can vote for the America’s Choice Award winner.
The image receiving the highest number of votes from the community will earn this recognition.
Deadlines & Guidelines
Timeline
- Entries Open: June 1, 2026
- Entry + Upload Deadline: July 10, 2026 - 10:00 pm ET / 9:00 pm CT
- Finalist Voting & Judging Begins: July 11, 2026
- Winners Announced: July 15, 2026
Image Guidelines
- Images must be your original work
- Images must fit the theme: “America through your lens”
- No watermarks or logos on submitted images
- AI-assisted editing tools are permitted, but the primary image content and subject must have been photographed by the entrant
- No nudes or body painting
- No political statements
📁 Image Upload Instructions
Only JPEGs will be accepted.
NAME YOUR FILES:
Please name your images using the following format:
FirstName_LastName_01
FirstName_LastName_02
FirstName_LastName_03
(Continue numbering consecutively based on the number of images you are submitting.)
Example:
- John_Smith_01
- John_Smith_02
- John_Smith_03
BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
- Have your images fully edited and ready to upload before completing the entry form.
- A Dropbox upload link will be provided:
- inside the entry form
- and again in your confirmation email
Additional Details
- By entering, you grant SYNC permission to feature submitted images for promotional purposes with photographer credit
- SYNC reserves the right to remove any submissions that do not align with the theme or contest standards
- All judges' decisions are final
- Entrants must be U.S. residents
Questions? Email us at you.rock@syncrocks.com