GIVE US YOUR BEST WETLANDS SHOT!
​DIGITAL PHOTO CONTEST FOR 2018

Eastern American Toad Jay Heiser

Killbuck Marsh Jay Heiser

Wood Ducks Jay Heiser

2018 PHOTO CONTEST

​Give Us Your Best Wetlands Shot! is the Ohio Wetlands Association’s 2018 photo contest that celebrates the joy of wetlands through photography. Subjects will include the flora, fauna and variety of landscapes within Ohio’s diverse wetlands. Click HERE for information about Ohio’s different types of wetlands. The contest runs from February 2, 2018 (World Wetlands Day) to December 31, 2018

Contest Rules
An official online entry form must be completed for each photograph submitted. Photographers may submit no more than one photo from each category for a TOTAL OF UP TO SIX PHOTOS per photographer. The online photo submission form will become available on February 2, 2018 when the contest opens.

All photos must be taken within an Ohio wetland between February 2, 2018 and December 31, 2018. All subjects should be typically found in wetlands.

Photographers may submit one photo in each of these six categories:

1. Wetland landscapes including marshes, wet meadows, wet prairies, swamps, bogs, fens, and vernal pools: Incredible landscapes. Photos must be taken in Ohio.
   
   
2. Herpetology - Frogs, toads, salamanders, snakes, and turtles: Capture the experience with these amphibians and reptiles in their wetland homes.
   
   
3. Flora - wetland plants, including forbs, graminoids, shrubs, and trees:  Share your best photos of Ohio’s native wetland plants, shrubs, or trees.
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4. Dragonflies and Damselflies and Spiders: Spend a day in a wetland and get close to these multi-legged creatures.
   
   
5. Aquatic Macroinvertebrates: This may require some underwater or microscopic photography!
   
   
6. Birds: Must be a species more likely to be found in wetlands than other habitats.
   
   

The contest is open to all photographers, except for contest judges and their families. OWA reserves the right to verify entrant eligibility. Photographs must be taken in Ohio. Photos may not include people who are identifiable. Entrants agree to allow OWA to publish any submitted photograph in its newsletter, website, publications or other materials to help support OWA’s mission to promote and protect Ohio’s wetlands.
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Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. Awards will be selected by a panel of judges, and all decisions are final.
 
Photo entries must be submitted electronically through the form below:

• Submit digital photos in JPEG format only. Higher resolution photos are at an advantage—optimal resolution is 300 dpi. Photos are best if they can be reproduced to a width of 9 by 11 inches, or approximately 2700 x 3300 pixels.
  
  
• The following naming convention must be used for the photo file:
  Subject_location name_date taken(MMDDYYYY)_name of photographer, i.e.: morganswamp_ashtabula_05152018_raystewart.jpg
  
  
• Complete the online submission form found below and remember to attach the photo.
  
  
• All entries are due no later than 11:59pm on December 31, 2018.
  
  
• Judges may exclude entries that do not meet the above criteria.
  
  
• Winners will be notified by email and announced at the 2019 Spring Vernalpooluza.
  

 
 
Contest Prizes

First Place: Wild Ohio: The Best of Our Natural Heritage
by James S. McCormac  (Author),‎ Gary Meszaros (Author)

Second Place: Photographer’s Guide to Ohio: Volume 2
by Ian Adams
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Third Place: Ohio’s Hidden Wonders: A Guide to the Animals and Plants of Vernal Pools
by the Ohio Wetlands Association

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Jay Heiser with Ray Stewart, OWA Board Secretary

2017 Photo Contest Winner

Jay Heiser, Dalton, Ohio
Won 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place!

Visit http://www.heiserhollow.netto see many of Jay's photographs on an assortment of themes.