ALBBAA’s Big Buck Photo Contest continues through mid-February

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Jan. 2, 2026) – The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association (ALBBAA) continues to accept entries for the 14th annual Big Buck Photo Contest.

The contest began in November and runs through the end of Alabama’s deer season. The winner will be determined by online voting, which concludes on Feb. 13, at 11:59 p.m.

“We love having the photos shared with us every year in the Big Buck Photo Contest,” said ALBBAA director Pam Swanner said. “The contest showcases what we all know to be true, that Alabama’s Black Belt remains one of the best places in America to bag a trophy buck. We encourage every hunter who harvests a buck in the Black Belt to enter our contest.”

The winner of the year’s contest will receive a $100 gift card and a copy of Black Belt Bounty, a coffee table book filled with stunning images, wildlife essays, colorful stories focused on hunting and fishing traditions, wild game recipes and more.

Here are key rules and guidelines for ALBBAA’s 14th annual Big Buck Photo Contest:

All entries must be made online through the ALBBAA website, and the photo must show a buck harvested from within the 23-county Black Belt region. The buck must be taken during 2025-2026 whitetail deer season. The winner of the contest is selected exclusively through online voting.

Contest entries are submitted and all votes cast online via the same web page: https://alabamablackbeltadventures.org/news-more/shoot-the-black-belt/big-buck-photo-contest/

Voters may cast one vote per day, per entry, per IP address. In the case of any dispute, the decision of ALBBAA is final. Photo contest winners from the previous two years are not eligible for entry.

ALBBAA reserves the right to approve or reject any photo submitted. Cause for a photo’s disqualification can include, but is not limited to, the following:

· The photo content presents the subject in an unethical or disrespectful composition.

· The photo content is perceived to cast a negative perception of hunters and their contribution to the management of wildlife.

· Voting violation which imposes an unfair advantage to others.

The contestant who receives the most online votes before balloting ends will be declared the winner. Before a winner is declared, ALBBAA will audit voting to make sure all contest rules were followed.

“Alabama hunters enjoy bountiful outdoors recreational opportunities in the Black Belt, and deer hunting remains one of the reasons so many people visit this region during the season,” Swanner said. “The Big Buck Photo Contest is designed to showcase the abundance of wildlife found throughout all the Black Belt’s 23 counties while celebrating the heritage and traditions of hunting in our region for generations.”

ALBBAA encourages all hunters to follow all deer regulations for the 2025-26 Alabama deer hunting season, which can be found online.

All sportsmen and sportswomen should purchase a hunting license online through the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before heading afield. Additionally, successful hunters are also reminded to report all harvested deer through Game Check.

The Black Belt includes the following 23 counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox.

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The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association is committed to promoting and enhancing outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the Black Belt in a manner that provides economic and ecological benefits to the region and its citizens. For information, go to www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org.