By Cleo Claws, culture reporter
There are many serious jobs in the natural world: keeping a river wild, getting the light right, and deciding whether a frozen shape has enough personality to earn a proper name. Obed Wild & Scenic River has now settled at least one of those matters.
The National Park Service’s newly posted 2026 photo-contest results name Daniel Miller’s Icy Cycle Santa as the People’s Choice Award winner. Cleo has examined the title and can confirm that it has an admirably direct relationship with the image’s apparent snow-and-ice subject.
The results page also lists category winners from the park’s 2026 contest: Debbi Exberger’s Taking a Break in Recreation, Keely Roundtree’s Between Earth and Infinity in Dark Skies, Rick McCulley’s Black and White Warbler in Flora and Fauna, and Kelly Thompson’s Fall’s Last Light in Landscapes.
That lineup makes the People’s Choice result a useful reminder that a photography contest can make room for a paddle, a bird, a night sky, a landscape—and an icy figure that seems prepared to file holiday paperwork. The official contest information says entrants may submit up to three original photographs, with the photographer retaining the copyright while allowing the National Park Service to use entries in publishing and merchandising.
The park’s contest information lays out the photo categories and entry rules. For the 2026 winners, though, the concise official takeaway is already on the board: Icy Cycle Santa has the public’s vote, and the river apparently has an excellent sense of seasonal timing.
Hilarious News uses original editorial illustrations for this story. The National Park Service pages linked above are the factual sources for the contest results and rules.
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