Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs opens 2025 Cream of the Crop photo contest

[March 12, 2025]    SPRINGFIELD – Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs is encouraging young Illinois photographers to submit photos for the 2025 Cream of the Crop Photo Contest, which provides students with a creative opportunity to share their vision of agriculture in our state. Students ages 8 to 18 may submit contest entries until the deadline of June 13, 2025.

Bright Start scholarships of $1,000, $500 and $250 will be awarded to students who place first, second or third in each of the three age categories.

“I’m excited to announce the opening of the contest because it’s a great opportunity for students to go out, explore, and use their cameras to highlight the beauty of Illinois agriculture,” Frerichs said. “Illinois is a leader in the agricultural industry because of our skilled, hardworking farmers, millions of acres of rich farmland, and diversity in products.”

The Treasurer’s Office is accepting electronic submissions for the Cream of the Crop Photo Contest at www.CreamoftheCropContest.com. Top photographs will be chosen in three age-based categories: ages 8 10, 11 14 and 15-18. Each student may submit up to two photos by June 13, 2025.

To read the rules, terms, and legal conditions associated with this contest, visit our website at www.CreamoftheCropContest.com or contact Teri Whitfield at 217.900.0075.

Now in its 13th year, the photo contest offers Illinois students an opportunity to showcase their most innovative or scenic pictures that depict their vision of agriculture in our state. More than 750 students have participated in the contest since it debuted in 2013, and they have submitted over 1,400 photos.

The Cream of the Crop Photo Contest is part of the Illinois State Treasurer’s Ag Invest program. Winning photos will be featured in Ag Invest marketing material and next year’s Cream of the Crop calendar, as well as at the 2025 Illinois State Fair.

Ag Invest is one of the nation’s largest agricultural linked deposit programs, celebrating 42 years in 2025. It helps hundreds of Illinois farmers and agriculture professionals. The Treasurer’s Office, through Ag Invest, partners with eligible financial institutions to offer farmers and ag businesses operating lines of credit and long-term, low-interest loans which can be used for operating costs, equipment purchases, construction-related expenses and livestock purchases.

[Adriana Colindres]