Calendars are available for sale at AZGFD offices.
PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has announced the winners of its 20th annual wildlife photo contest. The 12 winning photographs are included in the 2027 wildlife calendar that is published in the November-December 2026 issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine. Subscriptions ordered through Dec. 31, 2026, will receive the calendar issue, while supplies last, and also get free issue(s) added to the order. The calendar is also sold at all AZGFD offices for only $3.
Jeffrey Rushlo’s photo of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep was awarded Best in Show and is showcased on both the cover and in the calendar. The Show Low resident captured the winning shot in August 2025 near Springerville.
The 12 winning photographers are:
- Mark Ayotte, Glendale: Elk
- Jim Babbitt, Oceanside, Calif.: Pyrrhuloxia
- Douglas Bond, Phoenix: Arizona tree frog
- Julie Curtis, Golden Valley: Harris’s antelope squirrel
- Mark Harriman, Gilbert: Northern pintails
- John Hoffman, Sonoita: American pronghorn
- Scott Madaras, Portal: Western screech-owl
- Andrew Orr, Albuquerque, N.M.: California condor
- David Quanrud, Tucson: Bobcat
- Jeffrey Rushlo, Show Low: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
- Jill Tierney, Tucson: Desert iguana
- Faith Walker, Flagstaff: Javelina
Judges also singled out 20 images from talented photographers for honorable mention. These photos are also featured in the calendar:
- Jonathan Cline, Phoenix: Black-chinned hummingbird
- Timothy A. Cota, Mesa: Yellow mud turtle
- Jason Crosby, Phoenix: Northern cardinal
- Patrick Dirlam, Dewey: Crested caracara
- Elizabeth E. Eygendaal, Tempe: White-nosed coati
- Simon Joffre Gerber, Tucson: Bobcat
- Bob Gwaltney, Cave Creek: Desert bighorn sheep
- Tyler Hartung, Tucson: Mojave rattlesnake
- Danielle Hermes, Gilbert: White-nosed coatis
- Anne James, Payson: Bull elk
- Tom Jones, Phoenix: House finch
- Nick Lopez, Mesa: Sonoran desert tortoise
- Lee Marcus, Chandler: American coots
- Berkeley Martineau, Mesa: River otters
- Kymber Miller, San Tan Valley: Eastern collared lizard
- Randi Najac, Fountain Hills: Coyote
- Charles Ralston, Eagar: Mule deer
- Kathy Ritter, Happy Jack: Beaver
- Josh Sellke, Branchburg, N.J.: Harris’s antelope squirrel
- Heather M. Spencer, Prescott: Porcupine
More than 500 photographers entered this year’s wildlife photo competition, submitting 1,248 entries.
