Photo by Dan Kistler 2024 – Dream of Me
T W O T H E M E S – 2 0 2 6 !!
The Little Things
Open to all subject matter. Found details, natural or manmade. Tending towards the up-close, micro, even abstracted view.
Portraits: People, Pets, or Porches
We love our neighbors, our pets and our porches of hospitality. Find our characters, both furry, feathered, and two legged. Remember that porches can be portraits, (of the nostalgic life we lead in Elsah). Model release forms are required for recognizable subjects.
Choose either or both of them.
T I M E L I N E
- Entries submitted/postmarked by 01.03.26
- Selected artists notified by 02.07.26 – A list of the photographers selected for the exhibit will be posted on the HEF and Escape to Elsah websites, and also notified by email.
- Shipped art due to Elsah by 03.07.26
- Hand Delivered accepted 03.07 1-4pm, at Village Museum, 26 LaSalle, Elsah
- Opening Reception & Awards 04.04.26 3-4pm, Village Museum, 26 Lasalle, Elsah, IL 62028
- Exhibit closes 06.28.26, 4pm
- Photos picked up on 06.28.26, 1-4pm (Museum open on Saturdays and Sundays 1-4 pm only)
$1,150 in AWARDS for 2026
Best of Show $400
First, Second, and Third Place
$300, $200, $100
& $50 for a Creative Youth Award (age 8–18)
The exhibition reception and presentation of awards will be held in the Elsah Village Museum. All participants, their families and friends are invited. In the event the circumstance require an adjustment to these plans we will post an update on EscapetoElsah.com and HistoricElsah.org, as well as reach out to the exhibiting photographers with updated information by email.
HOW TO ENTER
Entry forms and digital submissions may be made below Online, fill out your entry form, upload you photos, and pay your entry fee. Downloadable forms also available.
Entry form must be complete: photographer’s name, contact info, the title of the work, description, year shot, framed dimensions, and insurance value.
Each uploaded image file must be identified with the entrant’s last name and entry number (1,2, 3, etc.). Three digital images per $15 entry fee; you may submit as many entry forms and fees as desired.
For the jury process, we accept high-quality, digital images of photography (no film)- minimum 300DPI and up to 7MB each.
Registration closed 01.03.26.
Model Release Forms must accompany all photos with faces.
Please download and print forms to carry with you as you shoot in Elsah. Each image, with recognizable individuals, must contain the info required on the form and be signed by the person in the image. The forms will then be attached by the photographer to all images that are “accepted and delivered” to the museum for display. If an image with a face or faces does not have a model release form completed and attached, it will be disqualified from the competition and cannot be on display.
Hand delivered digital submissions (on non-returnable flash drive) are also accepted. Include a completed entry form and a non-refundable $15 personal or cashier’s check, payable to Historic Elsah Foundation, postmarked no later than 01.03.26 to:
Elsah Photography Exhibit
Historic Elsah Foundation
PO BOX 117
Elsah, Illinois 62028
For questions regarding submissions, email: Danne Rhaesa, Exhibit Coordinator: danne.rhaesa@yahoo.com or leave message at 618-946-7532.
ACCEPTED WORKS
Photos may be shipped to the above address at the photographer’s expense or hand-delivered to the Museum at 26 LaSalle, St, Elsah, IL 62028. Mailed works must arrive by 03.07.26, with return postage. Works must be in well packed, reusable cartons, or crates. Hand-delivered works must arrive on Saturday, 03.07.26 between 1-4pm. All must have wires for wall hanging. Plexiglass, no glass!
CRITERIA
All works must be original and completed within the last two years. Works previously exhibit in the Elsah Photo Exhibit are not eligible. Upon being accepted, all photographs must be framed and ready to hang with a wire. Framed works cannot exceed 16” x 20”.
L I A B I L I T Y
Appropriate care will be taken in the handling of photos. HEF is responsible for works of art only while they are in the museum. Works in transit are the responsibility of the entrant and they are advised to purchase insurance.
HEF reserves the right to photograph works in the exhibit for publicity. HEF does not discriminate on any basis.
P I C K – U P P H O T O S
After the exhibition closes, on Sunday, June 23, 2026, works may be picked up at 4pm, or the following day, Sunday between 1-4pm. Please make arrangements for the safe return of your framed images. The Museum is only open on Saturday and Sundays between 1-4pm. Shipped works will be returned during July, in the shipping materials provided by the photographer, using the return postage included by the photographer. The shipping materials must be provided for return shipping. If not, the abandoned photos will be kept in the museum during the month of July and discarded, if not retrieved by July 28, 2026.
PHOTOGRAPHY JUROR – 2026
MELANIE STETSON FREEMAN
Melanie Stetson Freeman, Search Mel’s bio and photo stories at: https://www.csmonitor.com/About/People/Melanie-Stetson-Freeman