Wildlife in North Carolina Magazine Announces Photo Competition

[NCangler]

RALEIGH, N.C. (May 31) - While the winner of last year's Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition went out to sea to capture his grand prize photo, you need not leave your back yard to capture great nature photos.

Nate Bacheler was on a boat in the Gulf Stream off Hatteras when he took his photo of a Wilson's storm petrel feeding as it skipped across the water. Bacheler, who lives in Morehead City, also won prizes in the 2006 competition for more common sights, such as maple leaves and a mountain stream.

For the third consecutive year, you have the opportunity to show your best wildlife photos, whether taken in your back yard or in scenic locations across the state. Wildlife in North Carolina, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's flagship publication, invites everyone to participate in its 2007 wildlife photo competition.

The competition, which runs through Sept. 14, will hand out awards in 10 categories: Birds; Mammals; Reptiles and Amphibians; Invertebrates; Wild Plants; Outdoor Recreation; Peaks, Valleys and Plains; Animal Behavior; Youth Photographer 13-17; and Youth Photographer 12 and under. Rules and more detailed category descriptions are printed in the June issue of the magazine and are available on the Wildlife Resources Commission's Web site, www.ncwildlife.org..

The grand prize winner will have his or her photo published on the cover of the January 2008 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina and will receive a check for $200. All winning photographs will be published in the magazine and exhibited at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. First place in all categories pays $100; second place, $75; and third place, $50. Sponsor Great Outdoor Provision Co. will also provide prizes.

Only photographs taken in North Carolina in the past five years are eligible for the competition. The following rules apply:
No pets or farm animals, with the exception of animals participating with people in outdoor recreation (for example, hunting dogs or riders on horseback)
No photos of animals that are both captive and non-native to North Carolina (for example, polar bears or lions at the N.C. Zoo)
No photos manipulated digitally beyond conventional darkroom techniques or basic digital cropping, sharpening and cleaning up

All photos must be entered electronically at www.ncwildlife.org. No slides, negatives or prints will be accepted by mail. Go to the Web site and click on the Photo Competition link to enter your photographs and to see last year's winners. Photographers may enter up to three photos in each category. The competition drew more than 3,300 entries last year.

Bacheler's grand prize photo and 20 other winners from the 2006 competition are currently on display at the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education in Raleigh.

Please direct any questions to competition@ncwildlife.org.