Last year broke another record for the number of submissions to the IBEW Photo Contest. But the quality and variety of images also set 2025 apart.
Sure, cameras on mobile phones are improving, but that doesn’t explain the extraordinary number of beautiful, mysterious and compelling submissions.
The membership took to heart lessons from past winners. They moved in closer. They showed us the faces of brothers and sisters hard at work. These photos brought us to places we’ve never seen. We were taken a dozen miles out to sea and walked deep beneath Alaskan lakes. We were shrouded in steam and showered with sparks, in the clouds, underground, in the middle of the night and under the noon sun. We even cast reflections in the glow of the northern lights.
After 14 finalists were chosen by the Media Department, the images were put to a public vote. You selected Natalie Anaya from Los Angeles Local 11 for first place, giving her a $1,000 prize. In second place, winning $750, was David Pardo of Detroit Local 58. Minneapolis Local 160 member Nicole Curtis took third place and $500.
In addition, one photo from each branch of IBEW work — broadcast, government, inside construction, manufacturing, outside construction, railroad, telecommunications and utility — was awarded a $200 honorable mention prize.
Be on the lookout for the announcement of the 2026 IBEW Photo Contest this spring!
Rules for entering the 2026 contest will be advertised in upcoming issues of The Electrical Worker, as well as on our website and social media.
FIRST PLACE ($1,000)
Natalie Anaya
Los Angeles Local 11
An underground tunnel isn’t an ideal place to take a photo, but first-place winner Natalie Anaya found the beauty in the darkness. “I think it was a mix of the perfect amount of lighting and a little bit of luck,” the Los Angeles Local 11 journeyman wireman said. While this isn’t her first time winning, it’s still a humbling experience, she said. “I’m so grateful that my photo connected with people and was appreciated.”
This photo features the underground scenery of Los Angeles’ Metro system. For Anaya, it represents the work she’s done on the subway for years. When she started in this spot, it was just dirt. Since then, the journeyman inside wireman has done everything from welding to pulling wire to putting up panels to installing devices. Using her iPhone’s timer, Anaya’s photo captures a “hard day’s work in such a cool part of the jobsite.” She added: “Few people worked in the actual tunnels. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.”
A member since 2018, Anaya’s advice to others is to take the time to document their journey. “Capture real-time experiences, successes and struggles. Then you can always look back and reflect on the progress.” She also hopes that her photo underscores the hard work that women do — and do well — in an industry that hasn’t always welcomed them. “When I see this picture, I see a woman who shows up every day knowing she belongs there. I see a woman with pride, proving that competence isn’t gendered and that representation matters for the next generation. I see a woman who knows her worth, trusts her skills and doesn’t let a male-dominated space define her limits.”
SECOND PLACE ($750)
David Pardo
Detroit Local 58
David Pardo, a 40-year member of Detroit Local 58, was pleasantly surprised on winning second place, especially since it was his first time entering the contest. “It feels great. I’m grateful for even being considered,” he said. “I’m sure it will bring smiles to my local.”
Pardo captured what was a typical day for him and fellow member Larry Grassel, but not one that most people envision when they think about the work that journeymen wiremen do. “I think the average person thinks we only do switches and plugs. Or the often-asked-for ceiling fan,” Pardo said. “It’s surreal what we do. It’s also inherently dangerous. It’s not a job for everyone.”
THRID PLACE ($500)
Nicole Curtis
Minneapolis Local 160
Nicole Curtis never gets tired of seeing the northern lights blaze across the night sky over Minnesota.
“It’s the blessing of a night shift and outside rounds,” said Curtis, a member of Minneapolis Local 160. Her submission to the 2025 IBEW Photo Contest featured her workplace of the past seven years, Xcel Energy’s Sherburne County Generating Station, against a dramatic aurora borealis backdrop.
The image, Curtis’ first-ever submission to the Photo Contest, placed third among vote-getters in the 2025 competition, earning her a $500 prize.
“I’m very excited to hear it,” she said, noting that she was initially shocked to learn how well her submission performed.
“I thought I had a pretty good picture, and then I saw some of the others,” she said. “There were some amazing entries.”
On outside rounds last summer, Curtis was driving up a road to the facility’s holding pond.
“I saw the lights reflecting off the pond,” she said, “and I was like, ‘That’s actually really cool.’”
Curtis switched off her vehicle and quickly framed a shot that also captured a dazzling northern lights display.
“I can put my iPhone on night mode, so the shutter stays open longer, and it just grabs it,” she said.
HONORABLE MENTIONS ($200 each)
