Ironwood Forest National Monument
Taking its name from one of the longest living trees in the Arizona desert, the Ironwood Forest National Monument is a true Sonoran Desert showcase.
Ironwood Anniversary: Photo & Sticker Design Contest Winners
Check out the winners of our Ironwood Forest National Monument contest
Help us celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Ironwood Forest National Monument!
Capturing the beauty of the Ironwood Forest
All this year, we're celebrating the Ironwood Forest National Monuments' 25th anniversary! President Clinton signed the Proclamation creating the monument on June 9, 2000. It was one of the first national monuments established as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) National Conservation Lands system.
National Conservation Lands represent the most ecologically significant and exceptionally unique landscapes. IFNM is home to a rich ecological, cultural, and historical landscape and a spectacular 80 armed saguaro nicknamed Shiva!
We launched a photo and sticker contest earlier in 2025, and are ready to announce the winners!
Photo Contest Winners
1st Place & People's Choice
Congratulations to photographer Wendy L. Islas -- our 1st Place Winner and People's Choice winner. This photo will be featured on the cover of our upcoming Visitor Guide!
Wendy described her photo for us:
This is the magnificent Shiva saguaro under the Milky Way. This photo was taken late in the Milky Way season in order for it to be aligned as it is in the photo.
2nd Place & Judge's Pick
2nd Place and the Judge's pick goes to John Woodin. His stunning photo features Mexican poppies, saguaros, and the beautiful vistas of the iconic Ragged Top Mountain.
Another photo of John's also tied for Judge's Pick!
Sticker Design Contest Winners
1st Place
Coming in 1st Place in the sticker contest -- Darby Maldonado and her beautiful version of the Ironwood. Darby says her design highlights a beautiful desert backdrop featuring a mountain, 80 armed saguaro, prickly pear, ironwood tree, beautiful orange and blue wild flowers, and a little family of quails.
2nd Place and Judge's Pick!
Coming in 2nd place is this intricate design by Kei Zyrylle Mandanas, which is also the Judge's Pick! Kei says her sticker design portrays the Ironwood Forest landscape woven into a piece of basketry.
The scene features the soaring Silver Bell mountains, a blooming Arizona banana yucca, and a watchful desert bighorn sheep peeking from the edge of a rock. Kei says, "I wanted to incorporate weaving— an art form that materialized from the heart of the desert. Ancient petroglyphs carved by the Hohokam people also display the deep-rooted and intertwined history of Ironwood with its people. Golden sunset hues cocoons the landscape, encapsulating the sense of warmth and home only Arizona sunsets provide. The spirit of the desert flourishes and continues to inspire art for generations to come, so long as we preserve the beauty it generously shares."
3rd Place
Mikayla Chin's beautiful sticker grabbed 3rd Place. Mikayla says, "My sticker design features the 80-armed cactus Shiva with the beautiful landscape of Ironwood Forest. I was inspired by my recent visit to go see the glorious cactus and explore the surrounding area."
What They Won!
Photo Contest Winner:
- The photo will be featured on the cover of the 2025-2026 Discover Marana Visitor Guide. We'll print two since we had two winners!
- Feature story and name credit in the guide
- Professionally framed print of your cover
- Website and social media features
Sticker Design Winner(s):
- Your design produced as a sticker and showcased in a special feature spread in the guide. We'll have three to print!
- Full spread in the guide with bio/quote
- Professionally framed print of your spread
- Website and social media features
Thank you to everyone who entered! Stay tuned for the 2025-2026 Discover Marana Visitor Guide and the release of these limited-edition stickers—coming soon!
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