This spring, El Paso County Nature Centers hosted a postcard design contest. Artists and photographers submitted designs for Bear Creek and Fountain Creek Nature Centers, then members of the community voted online and in-person for their favorites! 3 winning designs were selected for each center and they’re now available for sale.
Congratulations to our winners Kristen McFadden, Brittany Knotts, Tati McAllister, and Andy Talley! Check-out their designs below then stop into one of the centers to pick some up.
Design Requirements:
- All artwork must be your own original work; use of copyright work, stock images, clip art, and generative AI is not permitted.
- Photographs, drawings, paintings, and digital art will be accepted.
- The submission must be from, or representative of, the park area surrounding the specific nature center which you are submitting for.
- Landscape or portrait orientations will be accepted.
- Final postcard size will be 4” x 6” so designs should follow a 2:3 ratio. If your design is outside this ratio and selected as a winner, it will be cropped to fit.
- Only JPG, PNG, and PDF formats will be accepted.
- You may submit up to one design for each nature center. Artists are not required to submit a design for both.
- Designs containing vulgar, explicit, or illegal content will not be accepted.
Contest Timeline:
- Submissions Open: February 7, 2026
- Submission Deadline: March 21, 2026
- Judging and Voting Occurs: April 4 – May 9, 2026
- Winners Notified: May 16, 2026
- Design Announced & Postcards Available: May 23, 2026
Prizes:
- 10 postcards of their design to share with friends and family.
- $25 online credit to use towards program registration.
- 4 free tickets to a special event at the nature center of their winning design:
- FCNC – Pumpkin Carving Party & Jack-o-Lantern Trail (October 24, 2026)
- BCNC – Bear Creek by Candlelight (December 4, 2026)
- El Paso County Nature Center SWAG bag.
- Announcement with an opportunity to link to artist’s social media and/or website.
Contact:
For additional details or questions, please contact Victoria Dinkel.
719-520-6767