As the official destination marketing organization for Caddo and Bossier Parishes, the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau—publisher of this blog—sees lots of photos of our region. Each June, our social media timelines are filled with glorious photos of roadside sunflower fields in and around the village of Gilliam in northern Caddo Parish. These sunflowers, which typically bloom along this route from mid-June until early July, seem to attract as many photographers as they do honey bees and butterflies.

Like many annual festivals and events, Gilliam’s popular Sunflower Trail & Festival has been canceled for 2020. However, the sunflowers will still bloom from mid-June through early July, and festival organizers encourage photographers to proceed as planned with sharing their best sunflower photos via the Annual Sunflower Photography Contest.

Sunflower fields bloom roadside near Gilliam, Louisiana in northern Caddo Parish.

Festival organizers recently posted this .JPEG of rules and instructions for the 2020 edition of the Annual Sunflower Photography Contest. However, the rules are embedded in an image, making them impossible for search engines or screen readers to see. So, here they are: your rules for the 2020 Annual Sunflower Photography Contest!

  • Color and black and white photos will be accepted.
  • There are two categories: 1) sunflowers only and 2) sunflowers and other subjects.
  • New this year, there are adult and youth categories. Youth categories are open to grades 9 through 12.
  • The photo subject must be sunflowers photographed along the Sunflower Trail in northern Caddo Parish.
  • To be considered for judging, photos must be printed 8″ X 10″, mounted or attached to cardboard backing (not framed), and mailed to the Red River Crossroads Association, P.O. Box 159, Gilliam, LA 71029.
  • Entries must be received at the Gilliam Post Office by Friday, July 3.
  • This entry form must be attached the the back of each mounted photograph.
  • There is a limit of two total entries per person.
  • No entries from commercial photographers will be accepted.
  • Entries become the property of the Red River Crossroads Association.
  • Please only submit photographs taken in previous years if they have not been previously submitted.
  • Entries will be judged based on creativity and artistic use of sunflowers as the primary focus and point of interest in the photograph.
  • There will be First Place ($125), Second Place ($75) and People’s Choice ($50) awards in adult and youth categories.
  • People’s Choice voting will be held, July 5-10, on the Sunflower Trail & Festival Facebook page.
  • Winners will be contacted by phone, and all winning photographs will be displayed at the Gilliam Library as well as the Heritage & Harvest Tour held on Sept. 26, 2020.
  • Questions? Contact karenlogan@centurytel.net.

If you’re a first-time visitor to the Sunflower Trail, here’s a FAQ from their Facebook page with more info about how to find and enjoy the trail itself:

If you’re participating in this year’s Sunflower Photography Contest, we invite you to share your photos on social media with the Shreveport-Bossier hashtag #PressPlaySB, as well as the Louisiana Travel hashtag #FeedYourSoul.

Planning a visit to Shreveport-Bossier? Request a free, printed copy of our 2020 Official Visitors’ Guide to Shreveport-Bossier or view the guide online here.

Sign up for Getaways, a free, monthly e-newsletter from the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

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