Based on the popularity of the Centennial Photo Contest last year, the St. Croix River Association (SCRA) is announcing another Photo Contest in 2012. Rules and categories remain the same. The photo contest is open to amateur photographers who are residents of the United States. Each participant may enter up to a total of five photos. Photos must be taken within the St. Croix River watershed, which includes many rivers and streams in eastern MN and western WI.

Persons age 19 and over, as of August 15, 2012, will compete in the adult age division. Persons age 18 or younger will compete in the youth age division. Each first place winner will receive an 8”x10” Gary Alan Nelson print and a $100 cash prize. Second place winners get a $25 cash prize and third place winners will be presented SCRA caps. All winning photos will be displayed throughout the watershed during the following year.

The deadline to enter the 2012 Photo Contest is August 15, 2012. All entry forms must be delivered to the SCRA Office or postmarked by August 15, 2012. Participants can enter as many as five photos each. The four photo categories are: Wildlife, Landscapes, Close-ups, or People. Only amateur photographers are eligible to compete. An amateur photographer is one whose majority of income does not come from photography. Winning entries will be announced at the SCRA fall dinner in September.

In order to be eligible for the contest, entrants must follow the guidelines below:

1. SCRA Membership
   Participants may enter up to five photos total and are encouraged to be members of the SCRA. Go to http://stcroixriverassociation.org/ for membership information.
2. Multiple Submissions
   If you intend to enter more than one photo, you must complete an entry form for each photo. Any photo without its own entry form will not be considered for the contest. All photos may be submitted on one CD.
3. Photo Format
   Photos must be submitted by CD only (jpeg files only, 5 MB max/photo). No printed photos accepted.
              
4. Photo File Names
   Photos must be named on the CD, by category (Wildlife, Landscapes, Close-ups, or People), age division, last name, state, and photo number. If you are submitting only one photo in a category, your photo number is 1. Additional photos in the same category should be numbered consecutively.
5. Digital Enhancement
   Minor digital enhancements for cropping, red-eye removal, filters and corrective functions are permitted, but images that have been judged to be altered in any significant manner will be disqualified. Contestants are not permitted to place borders, frames or backgrounds around their images or to place watermarks, dates, signatures or copyright images onto photos.
6. Previously Published Photos
   Photos previously published electronically or in print or past year SCRA award winners are not eligible for the 2012 SCRA Photo Contest.
7. Photo Rights
   The St. Croix River Association reserves the non-exclusive right to use all photographs in publications, exhibits or for other promotional purposes.

Entry Instructions

• Complete and submit an Entry Form for each photo entered. Forms shall be submitted by mailing to: SCRA, Box 655, St. Croix Falls, WI 54024
• Submit photos on CDs according to entry guidelines. Please note that if your entries do not follow the guidelines listed, they will not be considered.

Photos will be judged on technical merit and composition. For technical merit, judges will check to see if the photo is well-framed, properly exposed and sharp and clear. For composition, judges determine if the photo features a recognizable center of interest, action and imagination and creativity.

Photos will be judged by Gary Alan Nelson, with assistance from Gary Noren. Minnesota native Gary Alan Nelson has spent the past 20 years exploring and photographing the wild places and vanishing rural landscapes of North America. His award winning imagery has been published in hundreds of magazines, calendars, books and other publications. His fine art photography is displayed in private collections as well as clinics and corporations across the country. He has two photographic books published, one of which was given a Benjamin Franklin Award as the best photographic travel book of 2002. In 2000 he was named a master of landscape photography by Outdoor Photographer Magazine.

If you have any questions, please contact Gary Noren (715-483-9566) or email at garynoren@gmail.com