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Outdoor living projects are about more than the products that go into them. They reflect the creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail of the people who design, build, and install them. Digger Specialties, Inc. (DSI), a proud member of NADRA.org, celebrates that work each year through its Photo Contest, showcasing projects featuring DSI products and recognizing the professionals behind them.
The 2026 contest features a wide range of residential projects, from distinctive railing installations and poolside fencing to custom columns, lighting details, and before-and-after transformations. This year’s winners demonstrate how thoughtful product selection and skilled installation can help bring an outdoor living vision together.
With category winners announced and two special awards still to come, the contest continues to celebrate the DSI customers, dealers, and installers who make these projects possible.
Recognizing the Best in Outdoor Living
The 2026 Photo Contest recognized projects across multiple categories, highlighting the versatility of DSI’s outdoor living products and the diverse ways professionals use them.
The Best Overall award went to Karcy Lawson of O’Keefe Built, a proud member of NADRA.org. in Longmont, Colorado, for a project featuring Westbury Tuscany railing in Black Fine Texture. The installation showcases the craftsmanship and attention to detail that help create a beautiful outdoor living space.
The Railing category winner was Aden Weaver of Backyard Construction in Wooster, Ohio, for a project featuring Westbury VertiCable railing in Black Fine Texture. The installation highlights a railing style that pairs a clean, contemporary look with an unobstructed view.
Two additional railing projects were named finalists. Cameron Ziegenfuss of Deck Dude in Omaha, Neb., was recognized for a project combining Westbury Tuscany stair railing with Westbury Veranda Glass railing on an elevated balcony. Scott Corn of Scott Corn Construction in Jasper, Ind., was also named a finalist for a project featuring Westbury Riviera railing in Satin Black, installed along a stairway with multiple curves and descents.
Together, these projects illustrate how railing can serve both a practical purpose and an important design role, complementing the architecture and character of an outdoor space.
Details That Make a Difference
The Columns and Wraps category winner was Amy McConnell of Evergreen General Contracting in Wexford, Pa., a proud member of NADRA.org. Her winning project features black Westbury Wraps.
McConnell also earned a finalist recognition for another Westbury Wraps project, demonstrating how the product can help create a consistent finished look around deck support posts. Peter Bradley of New England Deck Builders in Brookline, N.H., was the other finalist in the category. His project uses white aluminum support columns with black Westbury Tuscany C10 stair railing at a front entrance, creating contrast while bringing the components together.
Bradley also received the Accessories category award for a project combining Westbury Tuscany C10 railing, DSI lighting post caps and stair lights with gloss white aluminum columns. The project highlights how accessories and lighting can contribute to a cohesive design while adding functional details.
Fencing and Gates in Focus
Fencing and gates were also well represented in this year’s contest.
The Fencing category winner was Michelle Miller of Outback Fence in Comstock Park, Mich., for a poolside installation featuring DSI’s CourtYard Hundred Series aluminum fencing in textured black, including a pool gate. The project demonstrates the role fencing plays in defining an outdoor area while complementing its surroundings.
Chris Baden of Premier Fence in Saint Paul, Minn., was named a fencing finalist for a white Polyvinyl Supreme Concave fencing project. Steven Campbell of Premium Fence Company in Moss Point, Mississippi, was also a finalist for a project featuring Designer horizontal fencing.
Miller’s poolside project also earned the Gates category award, recognizing the gate as an important part of the overall installation. Outback Fence received an additional finalist recognition in the category, alongside Premium Fence Company for a cantilever gate project.
These entries highlight the range of considerations involved in fencing projects, from defining property boundaries and enclosing pool areas to incorporating gate solutions suited to a site’s layout and intended use.
Celebrating Creativity and Transformation
Several additional awards recognized projects that stood out for their customization, transformation or overall presentation.
The Custom category winner was Matthew Smucker of Smucker Fencing in Narvon, Pa., for a Designer privacy fence featuring a Textured Black topper and red cedar infill. The combination brings together different materials and finishes for a distinctive look.
The Before and After category winner was Chris Baden of Premier Fence, whose CourtYard project was recognized for its transformation. Before-and-after projects offer a particularly clear look at the impact a new installation can have on an outdoor space.
Karcy Lawson of O’Keefe Built also earned the Lifestyle category award, while Baden received the Seasons/Holiday category award for a project featuring Superior fencing. These categories celebrate the broader ways outdoor living products fit into the spaces people use and enjoy throughout the year.
Two More Awards Still to Come
The 2026 Photo Contest celebration isn’t over yet. Two special awards remain, offering different perspectives on the projects submitted by DSI customers.
The People’s Choice award puts the decision in the hands of the public. Selected project photos compete head-to-head in an online bracket, with winners advancing through successive rounds. Visitors can view the matchups and vote on DSI’s website, helping determine which project earns the People’s Choice title.
The Producers’ Choice award is especially meaningful because it gives DSI production employees the opportunity to vote for their favorite photo. These are the people who help make the products used in the featured projects. Seeing those products incorporated into beautiful outdoor living spaces offers a chance to connect their work on the manufacturing floor with the finished results enjoyed by homeowners.
Both awards recognize the impact of the products and the people who bring outdoor living projects to life, from manufacturing and distribution to design and installation.
The People’s Choice and Producers’ Choice winners will be announced after the other category winners, so the excitement continues. Follow DSI on social media to see the final two winners and celebrate the projects selected by the public and the people who help make DSI products.
Celebrating the People Behind the Projects
The Photo Contest is an opportunity to recognize more than a finished installation. Each entry reflects the creativity, planning and craftsmanship of the contractors and installers who turn ideas into completed outdoor spaces. It also highlights the role that quality products and strong partnerships play in bringing those projects together.
DSI congratulates all the 2026 Photo Contest winners and finalists and thanks everyone who submitted a project. Their work demonstrates the many ways railing, fencing, columns, wraps, lighting, and accessories can come together to create distinctive outdoor living spaces.
To explore the winning projects and follow the announcements of the People’s Choice and Producers’ Choice winners, visit DSI’s website and follow DSI on social media.
See the 2026 Photo Contest winners and follow DSI on social media for the final two award announcements.
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Source: LBM Journal Read original HERE
