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After receiving dozens of entries, Old Spanish Days has announced the winners of the inaugural Fiesta Photography contest. El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward made the announcement at the Santa Barbara Carriage and Western Art Museum.
1st Place – Meghan Mireles
2nd Place – Irene Hoffman
3rd Place – Elisa Rodriguez
In making the announcement, El Presidente Hayward said: “I created the Fiesta Photography Contest because I wanted to give our community another way to become part of Fiesta and to help tell its story. Fiesta is experienced differently by everyone, and I thought it would be wonderful to see our traditions, our people, and those special moments through the eyes of the community. These photographs not only celebrate Fiesta today, but also help preserve its spirit and memories for generations to come.
“The response to the inaugural Fiesta Photography Contest was very encouraging. People embraced the idea and submitted photographs that captured the color, energy, tradition, and emotion of Fiesta in ways that were both creative and very personal. The quality of the entries made the judging difficult, which is exactly what we had hoped for. The results showed that this can become a meaningful new Fiesta tradition and another way for the community to help preserve the story of Old Spanish Days.”
Attached please find the three winning photos. Fiesta 2026 was held August 5-9 and was considered a huge success in terms of attendance, organization and operations.
Fiesta 2027 will run August 4-8 next year. Events and celebrations can be found at sbfiesta.org.
