MASON CITY – Award winners have been named in the 45th Annual Cerro Gordo Photo Show at the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum. Forty-seven entered photographs by twenty-four artists were chosen for the exhibition by a panel of judges. Judges for this year’s competition were 44th Annual Cerro Gordo Photo Show Best in Show award winner, Mary Varnum, and Belinda Schulz, MacNider Art Museum Office Manager.
The Best in Show award of $125 was given to Daniel Pennington of Mason City for the digital photograph entitled Last Chance. Dennis Nettifee of Clear Lake received the second award of $75 for the digital photograph entitled The Flow of the Shawl. The third award of $50 went to Wendy Janson of Clear Lake for the photograph, Return to Yesterday. New this year, artists entering the Cerro Gordo Photo Show for the first time had the option to select the First Time Entrant category. Photographs in this category were only judged against other first-time entrants and had the opportunity to win a $50 prize. This year’s Best First Time Entrant award was presented to Alec M Heggen of Clear Lake for Aurora Borealis Over Clear Lake.
Honorable Mentions were awarded to Jim Rose of Mason City for Female Yellow-headed Blackbird with Dragonfly, Daniel Pennington of Mason City for Owl Eyes, Alanna Davison of Plymouth for Ice Trees at Sundown, and Alec M Heggen of Clear Lake for Industry.
The 45th Annual Cerro Gordo Photo Show will be on display through Saturday, June 21, and is sponsored by the Safford and Lena Lock Photo Endowment Fund. Admission to the Charles H. MacNider Art Museum is free of charge.
(TOP PHOTO: 2025 Cerro Gordo Photo Show Best in Show award winner Daniel Pennington of Mason City, Last Chance, digital photograph)