Monarch Bay Plaza is sponsoring an Amateur Photography Contest which is free to enter and open for entries through July 1, 2025. If you are an amateur photographer, 18 years or older at the time of entry, and a legal resident of the State of California, you are invited to enter.
Submit one (1) photo showing California's natural beauty, including animal life, coastal scenes, mountains, and deserts. All images must be of nature, landscapes, and California's vast scenery and bio-diversity only to qualify. Any images with identifiable people are not allowed and will be disqualified.
This contest will award the following cash prizes:
$1,000 First Place; $500 Second Place; $250 Third Place; and $100 Popular Vote Winner.
First, second and third-place winners will be notified on or about August 1, 2025. The Popular Vote Winner will be notified on or about August 22, 2025.
CONTEST EXHIBIT
On August 15, the competition will culminate in a public photography exhibit of our winning submittals and top contenders from 2:00-5:00pm. It will be held at Monarch Bay Plaza located at Pacific Coast Highway and Crown Valley Parkway in Dana Point, CA. During this event, attendees can vote live for their favorite top contender, resulting in a "Popular Vote Winner", who will be awarded $100.00.
Join us for this special event and enjoy our FREE Ice Cream Social that will take place simultaneously (while supplies last).
MEET OUR JUDGES
Our expert panel of judges features three well-known art ambassadors active in the Dana Point art community. They will review, evaluate and rank our submissions to determine our three winners.
 | Karin Schnell has her M.A. in Exhibition Design/Museum Studies. She began her career in the arts at Newport Harbor Art Museum (now Orange County Museum of Art). She taught Museum Education at California State University, Fullerton and University of California, Irvine Extension program. Schnell helped facilitate the building of the current site of OC Center of Contemporary Art (OCCCA) in Santa Ana. She also worked in the initial years at Arts Orange County collaborating with county-wide arts organizations, arts educators, cities, and individual artists. Schnell has been involved in the annual Dana Point Art Fest for the past 8 years, which exhibits 80 local artists on Del Prado Ave. in Dana Point. She also served as an Arts & Culture ambassador for the City of Dana Point. |
 | Jennifer Keil earned her M.A. in Public and Oral History. As a Founder of 70 Degrees, she archives, preserves, and exhibits. Keil has curated the Laura Davick Crystal Cove Historic Archive Collection and the Taiwanese American History Museum. She is the Founding Director of Balboa Island Museum and Moulton Museum. She has collaborated with CSU Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Irvine. Keil has served as an art judge for Young Kim's office and the Festival of Arts Festival. She is an Arts & Culture Ambassador for the City of Dana Point. Jennifer is the Past President of the Southwest Oral History Association. |
 | Dana Yarger started his career as an environmental scientist before delving into the world of art collection from national galleries in the mid-1970s. His passion for art led him to begin opening art galleries in California during the 1980s. Throughout the 1990s, he began representing artists and curating exhibitions in various cities across the United States, Russia, and Japan. As the new millenium approached, Dana expanded his reach by representing street artists in national and international mural development in the US, South America, and China. Through collaboration with artists and sponsors, he successfully brought the renowned Elephant Parade exhibitions to Dana Point in 2013. Since 2014, Dana has served as the cultural manager for acclaimed author, poet, singer, songwriter, visual artist Bernie Taupin. Dana continued coordinating exhibitions and events, curating his first museum exhibition in 2019. Today, along with partner Laura Seeley, Dana operates two galleries in Dana Point – Laura Seely Studio and Gallery Dana Bay. |
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