Celebrating Youth Voices: Winners of the 2026 Environmental Photo Contest

This year, Tri-Valley CAREs had the privilege of hosting our first ever Youth Environmental Photo Contest! We invited young people ages 10-25 to share how they see and experience the environment and environmental justice issues in their communities.

Our team of judges were truly blown away by the submissions. Each photograph offered a unique perspective: some captured the beauty of the natural world, others highlighted pollution, climate impacts, or inequities that often go unseen. Together, they tell a powerful story about how young people are thinking about the environment today.

After careful review by our judges, we are excited to announce the winners of this year’s contest:

🏆 First Place ($750): Jacob Dartez – Deep Blue

🥈 Runner-Up ($250): Willow Yundt – Life Behind the Gates

🌟 Community Award for Tracy & West San Joaquin County ($500): Ellie Creighton – Inconvenient Placement

We also want to recognize all of our participants. It takes creativity, thoughtfulness, and courage to share your perspective, and every submission contributed meaningfully to this project. All participants will receive a certificate in recognition of their work and an 11×14  print of their work on canvas.

Join Us for the Exhibit & Award Ceremony!

To celebrate these incredible young artists (and Earth Day), we invite you to join us for a community exhibition and award ceremony:

Venue: Tracy Library, Wadsworth Room, 20 E. Eaton Ave, Tracy

Date: April 21, 2026

Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM

During the event, all submitted photographs will be on display, and we will celebrate the winners and present awards and certificates. We’ll also have food and time to connect with others in the community.

If you’re not able to attend that evening, the exhibit will remain on display at the Tracy Library Display case throughout the month of April.

This exhibit is part of our broader work in Tracy and West San Joaquin County to support community awareness and engagement around environmental issues. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating this work.

This project was partially funded by CalEPA.

Birds in the Prison- Milena Dovgal

I often walk or bike with my family along the Centennial Trail. We always love to stop near the bridge and watch the ducks swimming there. Recently, I decided to take my first photo, and it struck me. The metal poles are part of the bridge barrier. It's a bridge, but I imagined it looking like a prison. A prison for animals, birds in this case. They're locked in. I think the photo clearly shows the mud and insufficient water for their survival, yet they constantly gather here. Looking at this, I thought about how many animals and birds leave their home every year due to environmental changes for the worse (lack of clean and safe drinking water, pollution from industrial waste and garbage); all of this affects the environment. This section of the waterway near Centennial Trail in Pleasanton appears to be moderately impacted by urban runoff. The water shows visible turbidity and sediment accumulation, likely influenced by channelization and surrounding infrastructure. Algal presence and shallow flow conditions suggest nutrient loading and altered natural hydrology. According to the California State Water Resources Control Board, many urban creek segments in Alameda County are listed as impaired due to pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, and bacteria under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act. This photo isn't just of ducks swimming in a river; it's a photo of the current environmental situation. People, with their thoughtless and selfish actions, are destroying wildlife, sometimes without even realizing it.

Each of us can make this world a better, cleaner, safer place! I believe we should all start with ourselves and take care of the environment. Be friends with it!

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