Truckee Cultural District – September 23, 2026. Truckee Cultural District, in partnership with the Town of Truckee, Visit Truckee-Tahoe, Nevada County Arts & Culture, and the City of Nevada City invite the community to attend the third awards reception for the Keep It Dark Photo Contest on Friday, October 2 at the Tahoe-Truckee Airport from 5-7pm.
First, Second, and Third place winners were selected across three categories – Youth, Amateur, and Professional – along with Best of both East and West county selected by the Mayors of Truckee and Nevada City, respectively. Three additional awards will be presented to the winning photograph selected by community voting. Winners will receive prizes totaling over $2,000 in Visit Truckee-Tahoe Sustainability Gift Cards and the winning photographs will be showcased at the Truckee-Tahoe Airport and then moved to the Nevada City C.H.A.M.P Gallery in mid November.
Ways to Keep Appreciating our Dark Skies
The night sky celebration doesn’t end with the awards! The reception is part of 4 days of programming for Truckee’s first Keep It Dark Astro Weekend. Plan to make a weekend of it with night sky themed happenings like Tahoe Star Tours, a photography workshop, a Wine, Walk & Shop through downtown and a Dark Sky writing workshop.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1
Community Connections: Under the Tahoe Stars | 7:30–9:30 PM
Northstar California
Join the Truckee Chamber of Commerce, Tahoe Star Tours and Truckee Cultural District for an evening under the stars. Gather around the fire to explore the night sky, then get a closer look at distant stars, galaxies, star clusters and nebulae through powerful telescopes. $30/person. Advance registration required.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2
Keep It Dark Photo Contest Awards | 7–9 PM
Truckee Tahoe Airport, 10356 Truckee Airport Road
Celebrate the beauty of our night skies at an awards presentation featuring images captured throughout Nevada County. View the winning photographs and enjoy an evening of live music, bites and beverages. Free to the public.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk & Shop + Dark Skies Awareness Stops | 12–4 PM
Downtown Truckee
Sip, shop and stroll through historic downtown during the annual Downtown Truckee Wine, Walk & Shop, with special Keep It Dark stops where you can learn more about preserving our night skies.
Astro Photography Workshop: Milky Way in the Meadow | 7–10 PM
Norden Meadow, Donner Summit
Learn to photograph the Milky Way with award-winning astrophotographers Mike Oitzman and Allison Kalt during a hands-on evening workshop at Norden Meadow. Get expert guidance on night photography while capturing the Sierra landscape and stars after dark. Free. Advance registration required; space is limited. Reserve Your Spot
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4
Dark Skies Brunch & Creative Writing Workshop | 10 AM–12 PM
2046 Geiger St., Truckee Arts Loft
Enjoy coffee and pastries with Nevada County Poet Laureate Karen Terrey of Tangled Roots Writing during a Dark Skies-inspired creative writing workshop. RSVP by October 1 to tangledrootswriting@gmail.com
About Keep It Dark
Keep It Dark is a multi-partner dark skies initiative dedicated to protecting and celebrating the night sky as a shared natural resource of Nevada County. The initiative advances community stewardship through education, arts and culture programming, responsible lighting guidance, and astro-tourism promotion. Partners include the Town of Truckee, Truckee Cultural District, Visit Truckee-Tahoe, Nevada County Arts & Culture, and the City of Nevada City.