Maddie McCuddy named 2026 College Photographer of the Year, Lylee Gibbs finishes runner-up; Boyd’s Station Project 306.36 produces the competition’s top photographer for the second consecutive year.
Maddie McCuddy, of the University of Montana, left, and Lylee Gibbs, of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, taking part in Project 306.36 in Harrison County, Kentucky in 2026.
For the second consecutive year, a photographer from Boyd’s Station’s Project 306.36 has been named College Photographer of the Year, the highest portfolio honor in the world’s largest international collegiate photojournalism and documentary storytelling competition.
Maddie McCuddy, of the University of Montana, was awarded the prestigious Gold honor and named the 2026 College Photographer of the Year, while fellow Project 306.36 photographer Lylee Gibbs, of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, earned runner-up honors.
The achievement follows the 2025 College Photographer of the Year title awarded to Jordan Tovin of George Washington University, who also participated in Boyd’s Station’s Project 306.36 documentary photography residency.
In just two years, three photographers associated with the small, rural Kentucky nonprofit have claimed the competition’s highest portfolio honors, with back-to-back College Photographer of the Year winners and a runner-up.
“Three of the top photographers in the world’s largest collegiate photojournalism competition, including back-to-back College Photographers of the Year, have come through our little program in Harrison County, Kentucky. That's pretty remarkable,” said Jack Gruber, founder and executive director of Boyd’s Station. “We started Project 306.36 with the belief that if you give talented young photographers the time, encouragement and freedom to find their own stories, extraordinary things can happen. These awards are wonderful recognition, but what makes me proudest is the work these photographers have created and the lasting record they've given the people of Harrison County.”
The 81st College Photographer of the Year competition was judged October 17–24, 2026, at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. The competition draws emerging visual storytellers from around the world and recognizes excellence in photography, documentary storytelling, filmmaking and multimedia journalism. Additional information about the competition and its winners is available at https://cpoy.org/.
Vernon Moore, 74, with his cats in Oddville, KY, on July 21, 2026. Photograph by Maddie McCuddy
Neighborhood friends Logan Pike, Aliza Stinson, Brooklynn Pike and August James, left to right, ride bikes together in the evening along West Penn Street on July 31, 2026 in Cynthiana, Kentucky. Photograph by Lylee Gibbs
McCuddy and Gibbs spent the summer of 2026 in Harrison County, Kentucky, as part of Project 306.36, an immersive documentary photography residency that provides emerging photographers with housing, financial support, professional mentorship and the freedom to explore stories about everyday life in rural America.
The program is supported by industry partners, including Canon USA, which provides professional camera equipment for participating photographers, and PhotoShelter, which provides the online archival platform used to preserve, organize and share the growing collection of Project 306.36 photographs. Their support helps ensure that photographers have access to professional tools while the stories they create remain accessible as a lasting visual record of Harrison County.
Founded in 2018, the program encourages photographers to slow down, build relationships and discover stories that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Unlike traditional internships or deadline-driven assignments, Project 306.36 offers photographers the time to become part of the community they document. The resulting photographs become part of a growing historical archive preserving the people, traditions and changing landscape of Harrison County for future generations.
The competition’s still photography division was judged by a panel of accomplished visual journalists and editors representing National Public Radio, The New York Times, Education Week, Agence France-Presse and The Dallas Morning News.
The latest honors add to a growing list of national recognition earned by Project 306.36 photographers, including awards from the Hearst Journalism Awards and the White House News Photographers Association.
While the awards recognize individual excellence, they also highlight the opportunities that can emerge when young photographers are given the time, encouragement and freedom to develop their own approaches to visual storytelling.
For Boyd’s Station, the success of McCuddy, Gibbs and Tovin reinforces a central belief behind Project 306.36: meaningful documentary photography doesn't require traveling to the far corners of the world. Sometimes the most important stories are waiting to be discovered in a small community in rural Kentucky.
About Boyd’s Station
Boyd’s Station is a Kentucky-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 to mentor and support emerging artists, photographers and journalists. Its flagship Project 306.36 documentary photography residency brings emerging visual storytellers to Harrison County, Kentucky, for immersive 12-week fellowships.
With support from partners including Canon USA and Photoshelter, Boyd’s Station provides professional photography resources and maintains an expanding online archive of documentary work produced by its fellows.
College Photographer of the Year: https://cpoy.org/
For Additional Information - Media Contact:
Jack Gruber
Founder and Executive Director
Boyd’s Station
jack@boydsstation.org