Pufferbilly Days is over and I can finally exhale. It was a lot of work for me and a ton of work for all the people that volunteered their time to help out. But that is a list for another time. This is a post where I share the winners from this year’s contest.
And the Puffer goes to…
Best in Show – Angie DeWaard – “Peekaboo!”
People’s Choice Award – Shanon Duchene – “Let’s Play”
1st Place Adult Overall – Angie DeWaard – “Westminster Window Flares”
2nd Place Adult Overall – Shanon Duchene – “Let’s Play”
3rd Place Overall Adult – Angie DeWaard – “Coneflower Texture”
1st Place Teen Overall – Kayelee Burns – “Stellar”
2nd Place Teen Overall – Tommy Williams – “The Road Less Traveled”
3rd Place Teen Overall – Rylin Casey – “Lily”
1st Place Youth Overall – Emarose Davis – “Flower”
2nd Place Overall – Stanley Upah – “Tulips”
3rd Place Youth Overall – Faye Brown – “Whispers in the Lake Mist”
1st Place Adult Animals – Courtney Davidson – “Brothers from Another Mother”
2nd Place Adult Animals – Elaine Pearson – “Masked Bandit”
3rd Place Adult Animals – Dawn Krause – “Gem of Queens”
Adult Animals Honorable Mention – Jim Peterson – “Majestic Flight”
Adult Animals Honorable Mention – John Roberts – “Backyard Owl”
Adult Animals Honorable Mention – Sean Taylor – “Swan Reflections”
1st Place Adult Black & White – Jim Peterson – “Weathered Corncrib”
2nd Place Adult Black & White – Shanon Duchene – “Dance First”
3rd Place Adult Black & White – Don Lester – “Blarney Castle”
Adult Black & White Honorable Mention – Bea Upah – “Thing in the Woods”
Adult Black & White Honorable Mention – Janae Erickson – “Baby Glow”
Adult Black & White Honorable Mention- Amanda Wallace – “Wrenothy Wrenalton III”
1st Place Adult Humans – Angie DeWaard – “Snow White”
2nd Place Adult Humans – Janae Erickson – “Magic is Growing”
3rd Place Adult Humans – Vicky Van Dyke – “County Fair Gold”
Adult Humans Honorable Mention – Anthony Davis – “Wonder”
Adult Humans Honorable Mention – Janae Erickson – “Lil’ Sunflower Farmer”
Adult Humans Honorable Mention – Julie Brown – “The Girl with a Blooming Smile”
1st Place Adult Iowa Places – Shanon Duchene – “I Will Rise”
2nd Place Adult Iowa Places – Anthony Davis – “Rieman Winterscope Tower”
3rd Place Adult Iowa Places – Jim Peterson – “High Trestle Trail Bridge”
Adult Iowa Places Honorable Mention – Dawn Krause – “Dubuque and McGregor Rail Way”
Adult Iowa Places Honorable Mention – Heather Davis – “Fog at Ledges”
Adult Iowa Places Honorable Mention – John Roberts – “Spring Lake Sunset”
1st Place Outside of Iowa Places – Bea Upah – “Wyoming at Dusk”
2nd Place Adult Outside of Iowa Place – Jim Peterson – “John Moulton Barn”
3rd Place Adult Outside of Iowa Places – Shanon Duchene – “Serenity”
Adult Outside of Iowa Places Honorable Mention – Adam McDowell – “Canada Sunset”
Adult Outside of Iowa Places – Vicky Van Dyke – “River Conwy, Wales”
1st Place Adult Plants – Janae Erickson – “Tulips at Sunset”
2nd Place Adult Plants – Ryne Hilsabeck – “Eye of the Tiger”
3rd Place Adult Plants – Don Lester – “Pufferbilly in Bloom”
Adult Plants Honorable Mention – Dawn Krause – “Patience and Elegance”
1st Place Adult Things – Bea Upah – “Camera Eats First”
2nd Place Adult Things – Jim Peterson – “Morning Chill”
3rd Place Adult Things – Vicky Van Dyke – “Where Are the Beach Toys?”
Adult Things Honorable Mention – Amanda Wallace – “BSB @ the Sphere”
Adult Things Honorable Mention – Don Lester – “Buoys”
Adult Things Honorable Mention – Elaine Pearson – “A Shell of My Former Self”
1st Place Adult Transportation – Shanon Duchene – “Life is Too Short”
2nd Place Adult Transportation – Courtney Davidson – “Golden on the Go”
3rd Place Adult Transportation – Dawn Krause – “Oconto Harbor Ride”
Adult Transportation Honorable Mention – Jim Peterson – “Welcome to Boone”
Adult Transportation Honorable Mention – Vicky Van Dyke – “Sunset Shower”
1st Place Teen Iowa Places – Tommy Williams – “Cloudy Sky at Sunset in Ft. Dodge”
1st Place Teen Outside of Iowa Places – Keaton Henry-McDowell – “The Quiet Water”
2nd Place Teen Outside of Iowa Places – Tommy Williams – “Half Dome”
3rd Place Teen Outside of Iowa Places – Tommy Williams – “Panoramic of Half Dome”
Teen Outside of Iowa Places Honorable Mention – Keaton Henry-McDowell – “The Standing Silence”
1st Place Teen Plants – Kayelee Burns – “Color Pop”
2nd Place Teen Plants – Kayelee Burns – “I’ll Go the Distance”
1st Place Youth Animals – Brantlee Staebler – “Sunny Showdown”
1st Place Youth Black & White – Brantlee Staebler – “The Smoky Race”
2nd Place Youth Black & White – Grey Erickson – “All About Perspective”
3rd Place Youth Black & White – Grey Erickson – “Black & White Dream”
1st Place Youth Humans – Emarose Davis – “Hazel”
2nd Place Youth Humans – Emarose Davis – “Mixed Emotions”
3rd Place Youth Humans – Brantlee Staebler – “The Frowny Kid & the Nana”
1st Place Youth Iowa Places – Grey Erickson – “Sunsets & Sunflowers”
2nd Place Youth Iowa Places – Grey Erickson – “Look Out Your Window”
1st Place Youth Outside of Iowa Places – Faye Brown – “Sunrise in the Mist”
1st Place Youth Plants – Emarose Davis – “Sunflower”
2nd Place Youth Plants – Grey Erickson – “Sunflower Dream”
3rd Place Youth Plants – Brantlee Staebler – “The Sunny Flower”
Youth Plants Honorable Mention – Emarose Davis – “Backbone State Park”
1st Place Youth Things – Emarose Davis – “Independence Day”
2nd Place Youth Things – Brantlee Staebler – “Graffiti Artist”
1st Place Youth Transportation – Brantlee Staebler – “Sunny Day Train”
There were 148 entries this year. Down a tick from last year. Adult entries were actually up, but Teen and Youth entries dropped off pretty big. Teen entries in particular.
The judges this year were Jon Wilson, Logan Kahler, and Nathanial Brown. They did a wonderful job!
I will have more to share about the Pufferbilly Days Photo Contest at a later point. But I’m already thinking about what changes I want to make in 2026.