GON’s First Photography Contest: Results Announced

GON hosted its first outdoor photography contest this spring, and the winners are in!

Participants must have been a current GON subscriber and submitted eligible photos of a game animal or fish regulated for taking in Georgia or the pursuit of listed wildlife and fish species, along with a short story or description of their photograph. The Grand Prize photograph will inspire an original commissioned piece painted by artist Lita Gaitlin. All three winning photographs will be displayed on the GON website, at the Ag-Pro Outdoor Blast, in the magazine, and on social media. The winners will also receive gift sets that include some of the latest, limited-edition GON merchandise.

Instead of just one Grant Prize winner, one runner-up, and second-runner-up, there were two Grand Prize winners and one runner-up that were chosen.

The first chosen Grand Prize winner was Chase Turner. Chase turned in a photograph of his son, Lawson, drinking a Fanta under an oak tree after killing his first turkey. This little boy’s face is lit up from the pure happiness after killing his first bird just minutes before the photograph was taken.

Our winning photographer says, “My name is Chase Turner, and this is my son and best friend Lawson Cash Turner with his first turkey. He’s 5 years old and ate up with turkey hunting and picking out cool snacks at the gas station! We had turkey hunted for a few days straight, pretty hard at it for a 5-year-old and for my self carrying around a 5-year-old, plus a single shot .410 and camera gear.

“But it was all worth it when this big longbeard finally decided to break and come in mid day. Earlier in the day, I told him as soon as we got done hunting we could go to the gas station and pick out whatever snack he wanted! We sealed the deal on a dandy gobbler and celebrated with a couple Slim Jims and an ice cold glass bottle Fanta as we talked about the day. I snapped this picture as that was happening. It’s one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken!”

Lawson Cash Turner sitting against an oak with his Fanta after killing his first turkey. Photographed by Chase Turner.

The second Grand Prize winner was Justin Green. He submitted a beautiful up-close detail photo of a gobbler’s feathers.

Justin says, “I’ve been an outdoorsman my entire life. I remember my dad waking us up asking, ‘Are you still going hunting with me?’ My dad knew good and well that we’d never say no. Looking back, I can honestly say that I get just as much joy, if not more, when someone else is able to harvest an animal that they are after. That’s why this photo means a lot to me! I was in the turkey woods one morning when my best friend called and said he was finally on the board! I was thankful to be able to capture photos of his trophy, but even more thankful for this bird allowing us to see God’s creation so close. The big colors to the smallest details, God did not waste his time painting these creatures.”

Beautiful close-up details of the feathers on the bird that Justin Green’s best friend had just harvested. Photographed by Justin Green.

The runner-up was chosen to be Ricky Swartzentruber. Ricky took a beautiful photo of his brother and brother-in-law largemouth fishing on a calm Georgia morning.

Ricky’s brother and brother-in-law fishing with a beautiful sunset in the background. Photographed by Ricky Swartzentruber.

The commissioned paintings inspired by Chase and Justin’s photos will be displayed at the GON Ag-Pro Outdoor Blast at the Lakepoint Sports Complex in Emerson from July 25-27, 2025. Prints of the paintings will be available for purchase at the Blast as well. The photos of the Grand Prize Winners, as well as the contest’s runner-up, will also be displayed at the Blast.