Utah Sponsors Wildlife Photography Contest

Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources is sponsoring a wildlife photography contest, offering hundreds of dollars worth of prizes.

Utah has long been known as a great place to view, photography and hunt wildlife, and is a common destination for people seeking trophy animals. The state's Division of Wildlife Resources is charged with managing that wildlife, and working to educate residents and visitors. This contest is part of that effort. The agency provided the information below:

Wildlife through your eyes

Calling all photographers! We're excited to announce DWR's first digital photography contest. Pack up the camera, head outdoors, watch some wildlife and win some prizes.

Seasonal themes

Because we're lucky enough to live in a state with an array of wildlife active during each of our stunning seasons, the contest will feature four seasonal themes. You'll submit your photos during the appropriate entry period:

• Fall: October 1 to December 31, 2013
• Winter: January 1 to March 31, 2014
• Spring: April 1 to June 31, 2014
• Summer: July 1 to September 31, 2014

Photograph categories

There are two category options, or types of photographs, that you can submit within each seasonal theme:

1. Wildlife. We want to see animals! Submit wildlife photographs that were captured in the state of Utah, including non-domesticated animals, invertebrates and vertebrates, found legally in the state. This category includes macro images.
2. Wildlife recreation. We want to see people enjoying wildlife! Submit photographs of people interacting with Utah's wildlife, including, but not limited to fishing, hunting, watching and photographing.

Be creative. Show us what you've got. We can't wait to see how you'll tell stories of Utah's animals and recreational traditions through photographs.

Awards

Who doesn't love a good gift certificate? By entering your best shots in this unique contest, you'll have a chance to win money to Clik Elite — an online store chockfull of high-performance gear for adventure photographers, and money to Pictureline — a local, top-of-the-line camera store.

We will award a $40 Clik Elite gift certificate, as well as a $40 Pictureline gift certificate, to one winning photographer per category, in each seasonal theme.

Among the eight winning entries awarded throughout the year, we will select one grand prize winner who will be awarded an additional $180 to Clik Elite as well as an additional $180 to Pictureline. Imagine the escapades you'll capture with that lens you've always wanted.

Each of the winners will be announced on Clik Elite's website, Pictureline's website and the Division of Wildlife Resources website. The winning photos will also be displayed on KSL Outdoors with Adam Eakle.

Eligibility

With the exception of those employed by sponsoring organizations — and their immediate families — this contest is open to everybody. Each image must be the original work of the photographer submitting the entry.

Contest rules

• You may submit three entries (photographs) per category, per each seasonal theme.
• Photos must be sent over digitally as jpg files no larger than 3 megabytes.
• Each photo entry should represent a single event in time (no montages).
• Each photograph submitted (wildlife or recreation) must have been captured in Utah.
• The animals in the photographs must be of wildlife found legally in Utah.
• Photos must be submitted during the entry period for each seasonal theme (dates outlined in the table above).

Submitting a photo

Submit your photograph entries by emailing them to udwrphotocontest@gmail.com.
Remember, the files must be digital jpg, no larger than 3 megabytes. Include the category name (wildlife or wildlife recreation) in the subject line.

Judging process and announcement of winners

We will select one first-prize winner from each category in each seasonal theme, for a total of eight winners. At the end of the summer theme entry period, we will select a grand prize winner from all themes and categories combined. We will announce that winner concurrently with the summer theme winners.

A panel of judges from sponsoring organizations will judge the photos based on the following criteria:

• Photographic quality
• Composition
• General appeal
• Adherence to the theme and category

We will notify the winning photographers via email. Winners will then be announced onClik Elite's website, Pictureline's website and the Division of Wildlife Resources websiteon or before the following dates:

• Fall 2013 theme — January 16, 2014
• Winter 2014 theme —April 10, 2014
• Spring 2014 theme —July 10, 2014
• Summer 2014 theme —October 9, 2014

The winning photos will also be displayed on KSL Outdoors with Adam Eakle, on the episode following the date of the announcement.

Rights and permissions

Contestants retain copyright to images they submit. We will delete all entries after final judging is completed (unless we make arrangements with the photographer for the use of images by sponsoring organizations). By submitting images, entrants are agreeing to allow DWR to display winning photographs as part of contest promotion. Promotion of the contest will take place via sponsoring organizations' websites, DWR's social media channels and press releases.