1st Place,Youth, Landscape – Amanda Anez, 2012

It’s time once again for the St. Croix River Association annual photo contest! This is our third year in inviting amateur photographers to submit their photos taken in our beautiful St. Croix Watershed. Following are the rules, categories and the link to submit your photos online, or via post.

Information

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. There is a $25 entry fee (youth & current SCRA members are free). Photos must be taken within the St. Croix River watershed, which includes many rivers and streams in eastern MN and western WI. The link to the entry form is at the bottom of this page. You can submit via online or mail.

Persons age 19 and over, as of August 15, 2013, 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 2013 Photo Contest is August 16. All entry forms must be delivered to the SCRA Office via web or

1st Place, Adult, People – Brittney Johnson, 2012

postmarked by August 16, 2013. Participants can enter as many as five photos. 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 this link  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. If mailing your form, all photos may be submitted on one CD.
3. Photo Format
   Photos must be submitted by CD or online via our web form (jpeg files only, 5 MB max/photo). No printed photos accepted.
4. Photo File Names
   If sending via mail, 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 award winning photos from past year SCRA 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.

1st Place, Adult, Close-up – Mary Paul, 2012

Entry Instructions

• Complete and submit an Entry Form via mail (link below) for each photo entered. Forms shall be submitted by mailing to: SCRA, PO Box 655, St. Croix Falls, WI 54024. If you are an adult and do not a current member of SCRA please include your check for $25.
• CLICK HERE for the online entry form. After completing your online entry/s, you can mail your $25 entry fee (if you are an adult and are not a current member of SCRA) via check to complete your registration. SCRA, PO Box 655, St. Croix Falls, WI  54024.
• Submit photos according to entry guidelines. Please note that if your entries do not follow the guidelines listed, they will not be considered.
• Want to become a member? Click here

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.

1st Place, Adult, Landscapes – Jeff Bucklew, 2012

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.

2013 SCRA Photo Contest Entry Form

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

Here are links to previous winners of the SCRA Photo Contest: 2012, 2011