By J. Todd Truelove
CNI News Service
Magazine cover. Shown is the cover of summer 2026 Lake Living magazine, featuring a photo taken by Kim Caudell of Toccoa. Caudell won $100 for her photo, which features fireworks over Lake Hartwell.
For the nation’s 250th anniversary, it was a photo of fireworks over Lake Hartwell that won the 2026 Summer Lake Living cover photo contest.
The photo was taken by Kim Caudell, a resident of Stephens County and director of the Stephens County School System Nutrition Department. Caudell won $100 for her photo.
Caudell takes photos with her phone, an iPhone 15 Plus, noting, “It’s time for an upgrade.”
Having children and living in such a scenic area, Caudell said, “I’m always taking pictures.”
This is Caudell’s second magazine win. A photo of her two boys, Britt and Benjamin, won the 2025 Summer Lake Living contest.
She said this year’s winning fireworks photo was taken from her family’s boat during the July 2, 2024, fireworks show.
Caudell said Britt and Benjamin were particularly excited about this year’s photograph because they weren’t in it, as they were last year.