Eli Greenfield captures a pair of winning photos in 2026 Six Mile Slough Preserve photo contest
A Cape Coral high school sophomore is among the 28 photographers who won awards in the 2026 Friends of the Six Mile Slough Preserve Photo Contest.
Eli Greenfield, a frequent visitor of the preserve, earned two spots of honor in the year-long display at the Slough’s Interpretive Center.
He heard about the photography contest through his dad, Jeremy Greenfield, who took a third in the Plants and Landscapes Division.
“My dad kind of taught me how to use the camera, and I am trying to figure out the rest,” he said.
He apparently has more than the basics figured out — Greenfield won first and third place in the youth category.
Third place was for his shot of a sleeping squirrel.
“I took that because you don’t see that very often. They are usually running around. It’s hard to get good shots of them,” Greenfield said.
The second photograph was a close-up of a leaf with dew. It took a first.
“I thought it looked nice, so I took a picture of it,” he said.
The grand prize winner of the 2026 Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Photo Contest honoring Carolyn Babb went to Kristina Mintz, a fifth-grade teacher at Heights Elementary School for her photo of a baby alligator resting on its mother’s head.
First place, second place, third place and honorable mentions were awarded in five categories — animals, birds, plants and landscapes, youth, and staff. There were 277 photographs submitted by 99 photographers. Among them were youths, 17 and under, with 12 being the youngest to receive an honorable mention.
A ceremony last month unveiled the winners in the multipurpose room in the Interpretive Center. The photographs can be viewed in the center for a year until the 2027 winners are unveiled.
The center, at 7751 Penzance Blvd., Fort Myers, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Mondays.
Admission to the center and boardwalk is free with paid parking — $1 an hour, or $5 for the entire day.
The contest honors Babb, who died in December 2023. She served seven years as president of the Friend’s board, the longest tenure of any president. The contest has been held annually since Babb founded it in 2010.
For more information, visit sloughpreserve.org.
Grand Prize
Kristina Mintz *
Animals
1st Place: Linda Normoyle
2nd Place: Kristina Mintz
3rd Place: Debbie Guadagnino
Honorable Mention: Christian Rehm
Honorable Mention: John Cao**
Birds
1st Place: Jason Walsh
2nd Place: Cathy Webb **
3rd Place: Thomas Lonergan
Honorable Mention: Jason Walsh */**
Honorable Mention: Kristina Mintz *
Honorable Mention: Jemetta Hunt
Honorable Mention: Eliannis Santiesteban
Plants and Landscapes
1st Place: Linda Normoyle
2nd Place: Fred Borgianini
3rd Place: Jeremy Greenfield
Youth
1st Place: Eli Greenfield
2nd Place: Bear Tortorello
3rd Place: Eli Greenfield
Honorable Mention: Bear Tortorello
Honorable Mention: Kymani Myrie
Staff
1st Place: Sara Maliva
2nd Place: Sabine Vandenhende
3rd Place: Gerald Thompson
Honorable Mention: Sabine Vandenhende
Honorable Mention: William Greene
An asterisk (*) denotes that the photo was selected to appear as a postcard, and a double asterisk (**) denotes a photo selected to appear as a sticker. The postcards and stickers are available for purchase in the Friends Corner nature store in the Interpretive Center.