SAHUARITA, AZ — Art State Arizona and the Town of Sahuarita are proud to announce the winners of the fourth annual Sahuarita Photography Competition, a growing creative placemaking initiative that celebrates the people, places, landscapes, and everyday experiences that make Sahuarita unique.
The competition continues to expand its reach across Southern Arizona's creative community. The 2026 competition received more than 360 submissions from 65 photographers across six creative categories, with more than half of all entrants participating for the first time. The continued growth reflects the competition's increasing role as a platform for both emerging and established photographers to share their perspectives on the community they call home.
Guided by this year's theme, Desert in Bloom, photographers were invited to explore how life takes shape and thrives in the Sonoran Desert. From resilient natural systems and colorful public spaces to the people who work, create, and build community in Sahuarita every day. Through images that ranged from sweeping desert landscapes to intimate moments of discovery, participants revealed the many ways Sahuarita continues to grow, adapt, and flourish.
More than $2,000 in prizes were awarded across six categories: Land, Water & Adaptation, Work of Light, Night in Sahuarita, Parks & Public Spaces, Sahuarita at Work, and the Youth Photographer Showcase. Winning photographs will be featured in a yearlong exhibition at Sahuarita Town Hall, recognized online, and shared throughout the year as part of an ongoing effort to celebrate Sahuarita's distinctive character through visual storytelling.
Among this year's winners was Lisa Kimbley, whose photograph A Bug's Eye View earned First Place in the Land, Water & Adaptation category. A first-time competition participant, Kimbley's award-winning macro photograph invites viewers to experience the desert from the perspective of one of its smallest inhabitants.
"When I go looking for things to photograph, my eye is naturally drawn to the tiny details," Kimbley said. "It's a bit of a Horton Hears a Who perspective—when you pause to really see the intricate details of something so small, you realize it's far more complex and beautiful than it first appears."
The photograph was inspired by a quiet morning spent observing a tiny insect weaving through blooming desert marigolds in her backyard.
"I got as low to the ground as possible and tried to capture his view from under these flowers," she said. "It made me wonder what the world looked like to him."
For Kimbley, who works full-time as a pharmacist and pursues macro photography in her free time, receiving First Place came as an unexpected honor.
"There are so many talented photographers in Sahuarita," she said. "I am truly honored."
This year's competition also recognized Dan Davis, whose remarkable collection of photographs earned multiple awards across several categories just months after relocating from the Midwest to Southern Arizona.
Originally from the Midwest, Davis settled in Green Valley this spring and found himself captivated by the Sonoran Desert's unfamiliar landscapes.
"When one relocates to the Sonoran Desert from the Midwest, you are confronted with a newness that leaves you dumbstruck," Davis said. "You stand and stare. You bend over and pick things up to study them. You observe the light shifting over the landscape—all the things you've done a thousand times before, but now with a new sense of wonder."
After selling all of his photography equipment before the move, Davis purchased a new camera and began documenting the desert with fresh eyes. Learning that four of his photographs had been recognized in the competition exceeded every expectation, marking an encouraging beginning to his photographic journey in Southern Arizona.
First-time participant Nicolas Salazar was recognized across four categories, including Second and Third Place in the Youth Photographer Showcase, Third Place in Work of Light for Presenting Colors, and an Honorable Mention in Sahuarita at Work. Originally from Ramona, California, Nicolas moved to Sahuarita in 2020.
"After a while of living in Sahuarita, I began to notice the appeal... the orange-red hue on the sandy ground, the opaque green on cacti, the amber sap falling from mesquites," Salazar said.
As his appreciation for the Sonoran Desert grew, so did his passion for photography. "I believe that same appreciation and curiosity is what made me interested in becoming a photographer—being able to capture the things I've never seen or known and learning about them on the journey."
Now an award-winning photographer in his first Sahuarita Photography Competition, Nicolas' work reflects not only technical skill but a deepening connection to the community he once struggled to call home.
Together, Kimbley, Davis, and Salazar embody the spirit of this year's competition—one discovering extraordinary beauty in the smallest details, the other rediscovering wonder through an entirely new landscape. Their stories reflect the many ways photography invites us to slow down, observe more carefully, and see familiar places through fresh perspectives.
The Sahuarita Photography Contest is a partnership between Art State Arizona and the Town of Sahuarita Parks and Recreation. It supports ongoing creative placemaking efforts in the region by encouraging storytelling, community pride, and cross-generational engagement through the arts. The Sahuarita Photography Competition continues to welcome photographers of all ages and experience levels, encouraging participants to celebrate community through creativity while documenting the evolving story of Sahuarita.
Winning photographs will also remain on public display throughout the year at Sahuarita Town Hall. The complete gallery of winning photographs, including category winners and honorable mentions, is available online at https://artstateaz.org/sahuarita-photography-competition/.
2026 Winners
Land, Water & Adaptation
FIRST PLACE – Lisa Kimbley: A Bug’s Eye View
SECOND PLACE – Tim Kouris: Baby Owl
THIRD PLACE – Dan Davis: Nut Grove
Honorable Mention – Sathavy Weldon: Resilience in Reflections
Honorable Mention – Dan Davis: Cactus Study 3
Honorable Mention – Johann Maxwald: The Blue Bird
Honorable Mention – Dan Davis: Brood
Honorable Mention – Chuck Russell: Great Blue Heron Take Off
Work of Light
FIRST PLACE – Aubrey Prestwich: Exploring The Drain Tunnels
SECOND PLACE – Kim Holmes: Milky Way Backdrop
THIRD PLACE – Nicolas Salazar: Presenting Colors
Honorable Mention – Christopher Travers: Roadside Assistance
Honorable Mention – Thomas J. Cadwalader Jr.: Pins and Needles
Night in Sahuarita
FIRST PLACE – Dan Davis: Desert Moon
SECOND PLACE – Hollie Mansfield: Coming in for a Treat
THIRD PLACE – Genesis Villa-Lopez: Lobo Rojo
Honorable Mention – Kayla Carver: Full of Life
Honorable Mention – Genesis Villa-Lopez: Confetti
Honorable Mention – Christian Morales: Lake Beneath the Galaxy
Parks & Public Spaces
FIRST PLACE – Christian Morales: Maze Gate to the Stars
SECOND PLACE – Celeste Boudreaux: Sahuarita Lake After Sunset
THIRD PLACE – Tim Kouris: Eye of the Tiger
Honorable Mention – Cera Reusser: Sonora Cycling Club Members Out Enjoying Their Weekly Morning Ride
Honorable Mention – Sathavy Weldon: Where Wonder Begins
Honorable Mention – Tina Sorce: Lake Snow
Honorable Mention – Paul Livingston: Sahuarita Park
Sahuarita at Work
FIRST PLACE – Nisa Talavera: Work Family
SECOND PLACE – Valerie Stewart: Work Truck
THIRD PLACE – Valerie Stewart: Ranch Work
Honorable Mention – Valerie Stewart: Time Machine
Honorable Mention – Aubrey Prestwich: The Heart of Music
Honorable Mention – Nicolas Salazar: At Long Last
Youth Photographer Showcase
FIRST PLACE – Johann Maxwald: The Graceful Dancers
SECOND PLACE – Nicolas Salazar: Fin
THIRD PLACE – Nicolas Salazar: Home
Honorable Mention – Paxton Ray-Ingelido: Views in Sahuarita
Honorable Mention – Alyssa Godshall: Pretty in Pink
Honorable Mention – Johann Maxwald: Family Bonding
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