Sebastian County 4-H’s Wallace Takes Best in Show at State Competition

By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture

Ready for her close-up, a handsome brown cow and the intricate textures of her tawny hair are the focus of nine-year-old Evelynn Wallace’s photo, which won Best in Show at the 2023 Ross Photography Contest.

Sponsored by Arkansas 4-H, the Ross Photography Contest asks 4-H members to submit black and white or color photos of Arkansas subjects. The 2023 contest drew 465 student participants, with 50 of the state’s 75 counties represented. Of the entrants, 209 were new participants.

Other category winners captured shots of fog rising along a quiet country road, nature’s reclaiming of an animal skeleton and the joys of wishing on a dandelion. For the contest, “living subjects” were limited to people and animals.

One judge said that Wallace, a member of the Sebastian County 4-H Club, has a “really good eye for photography,” and that her winning shot of the brown cow was “udderly the best photo in the contest.”

Kerry Rodtnick, extension photographer and videographer for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, coordinates the annual competition and said the quality of this year’s entries had improved, making the judges’ jobs tougher.

“The judges had a hard time narrowing their choices down to just a few winners,” Rodtnick said. “The photographers seemed to be using sound photography composition, more so than in the past. The variety and creativity used for these photos were at a higher level. The judges look at technical skill within the photographs, but they also look at creativity and the effort put forth in capturing the image. They want to know that a photographer spent time and thought as they were taking it — not just grabbing a camera and snapping a photo of a friend.

“Hopefully our competition encourages these kids to dig into photography practices so they can compete better each year,” he continued. “Maybe it will inspire future professional photographers. Or perhaps they will simply take better photos of their families as they grow. Both results make our contest a success.”

At the state level, prizes were awarded in four categories to the first-, second- and third-place winners. The Best in Show winner was selected among the category winners. All winning photographs can be viewed in the Division of Agriculture Flickr album.

The 2023 Ross Photography Contest winners are:

Color Living

1^st — Evelynn Wallace, Sebastian County

2^nd — Kenzly Weaver, Independence County

3^rd — Emma Eubanks, Hot Spring County

Black and White Living

1^st — Braylei Griffin, Washington County

2^nd — Rebecca Frealy, Fulton County

3^rd — Serenity Mora, Logan County

Black and White Non-Living

1^st — Asa Eddington, Craighead County

2^nd — Chloie Thomas, Washington County