“Explore the Great Outdoors”
Welcome to our Eighth Annual Photography Contest to help Hoosiers find new nature preserves, parks and agritourism sites!
Our theme this year is: Explore the Great Outdoors. We encourage you to go outside in search of unique experiences where nature feels inspirational. Visiting natural areas (state parks, nature preserves, etc.) and agritourism sites (like pumpkin patches, vineyards, and other outdoor farm destinations) offers endless opportunities to capture unique outdoor experiences. We hope you will seek out new nature destinations and share your adventures with others!
About the Photo Contest
Once again, we’re offering kid-friendly age categories. Kids 18 and under can enter the youth contest. Folks 19 and older must enter the adult contest. See information below for category descriptions. We’ll judge each age group’s entries separately with each age group receiving their own “best in show” and grand prize. Photos will be included in the online and travelling exhibit!
Amateur photographers of all ages can submit photos in one of each of these categories:
– Barns, crops, and livestock
– Forests, creeks, and wetlands
– Wildlife and wildflowers (or other flora)
– People in nature
– Architecture in nature (how architecture and nature have been combined)
Four rules to note for each age group (Youth and Adult):
1. The photo must be taken by an amateur photographer and in Indiana, ideally within the last year.
2. The goal of this year’s contest is to help Hoosiers think how natural areas offer inspiration, contribute to personal health and wellness and therefore are worthy of protection.
3. Deadline to enter is October 31, 2023.
4. Contestants may submit up to five (5) photos in digital format.
CATEGORY DESCRIPTIONS
– Barns, crops, and livestock (Take pictures of barns, crop plants/fields, or farm animals in a natural setting.)
– Forests, creeks, and wetlands (Take pictures of leaves, bark, trees-dead or alive, etc.; water features such as waterfalls, running water in creeks, creek beds/rocks, reflections in water, etc.; standing water areas such as ponds, lakes, puddles, etc.)
– Wildlife and wildflowers (or other flora) (Take pictures of animals, such a insects, birds, fish, snakes, tracks, frogs/toads/salamanders, spiders, worms, snails, furry animals, etc. and plants or things like plants, such as wildflowers, fallen leaves, mushrooms, lichen, fruit, seeds, etc.)
– People in nature (Take pictures of people participating in nature such as hiking, boating, journaling, painting, dreaming, playing, cloud watching, etc.)
– Architecture in nature (how architecture and nature have been combined) (Take pictures of objects that have a natural use to them and in a natural setting, even if they are man-made, such as a bee house, bird house, rock walls, gardens for nature, or even natural architecture examples such as homes made by animals, nests, crawdad stacks, fallen trees that provide a structural use, etc.)
We will begin accepting entries on October 1, 2023.
Our judges will select Best of Show photographs by the end of the year, and we will exhibit these Best of Show photos this winter – look for an online exhibit and a traveling exhibit, where the public can then vote on the Grand Prize Winners in both the Youth and Adult category. Each Grand Prize Winner will receive a $50.00 cash prize and a 1-year membership to Oak Heritage Conservancy. Details to come on location of our photo exhibit venues.
The photos (at least six from youth and six from adults) selected for our traveling exhibit will be printed and mounted. These “Best of Show” photographers will receive their mounted photo as a prize at the end of the travelling exhibits.
The photo contest is made possible by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The contest and exhibit are a partnership with Oak Heritage Conservancy (we create nature preserves in southeast Indiana) and George Rogers Clark Land Trust (they’re a community group that focuses on protecting working farmland in southern Indiana). Many thanks to the Boards of both groups for all their hard work making this contest and exhibit a reality!
Recap of 2022’s Photo Contest-
Our 2022 Photography Contest’s theme was: Nature’s Magical Moments. And we had more than 350 individual photos submitted! Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your images of Nature’s Magical Moments.
Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winners!
Carson Hughes – Youth Division Grand Prize Winner
“I would have to say the fog and the “mood” of the photo caught my attention the most. I was by myself, and I took the photo because I love double-crested cormorants and spending time with them. I go to my local state park every Saturday morning and go on kayak out on the lake with my camera.”
Katie Baker Sparks – Adult Division Grand Prize Winner
“I crossed this historic stone bridge on Olean Rd in Ripley County every day on my way to work for years before going down to explore what it looked like from underneath. The beauty of the stone, color of the trees, and reflection in the water was stunning.”
SCROLL DOWN TO VIEW 2022 BEST OF SHOW
Our judges selected twenty Best of Show images for traveling exhibits that were displayed in venues across southeast Indiana.
Thank you to the following businesses for hosting our Traveling Exhibits!
Spire Book & Coffee Co. – Aurora, IN
Amack’s Well – Batesville, IN
Crafted Coffee Co. – Madison, IN
Emily’s Brew Coffee Co. – Versailles, IN
Batesville Public Library – Batesville, IN
Lawrenceburg Public Library, – Lawrenceburg, IN
Ivy Tech Madison Campus, – Madison, IN
These “Best of Show” photographers will receive their mounted photo as a prize. The two Grand Prize-winning photographers will receive a one-year membership to Oak Heritage Conservancy.
2022 Best of Show – Youth Division
2022 Best of Show – Adult Division
About this year’s Photo Contest
Once again, we offered two age divisions. Kids 18 and under entered the youth contest. Folks 19 and older entered the adult contest. Our theme categories were:
– Barns, crops, and livestock
– Forests, creeks, and wetlands
– Wildlife and wildflowers (or other flora)
– People in nature
– Architecture in nature (how architecture and nature have been combined)
If you have a question about this year’s contest, email [email protected]
The photo contest is made possible by a grant from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The contest and exhibit are a partnership with Oak Heritage Conservancy (we create nature preserves in southeast Indiana) and George Rogers Clark Land Trust (a community group that focuses on protecting working farmland in southern Indiana). Many thanks to the Boards of both groups for all their hard work making this contest and exhibit a reality!
Congratulations to our 2021 Grand Prize Winners!
Seanna Peetz – Youth Division Grand Prize Winner
“I took this photo on a rainy day. Shortly after the rain had stopped falling, I stepped outside, and something caught my eye. This butterfly, this little, tiny but hugely important butterfly, made me realize that there’s so much more to life and that by actually slowing down and examining the world around you, you can experience a once in a lifetime chance just like how I saw this butterfly.”
Beverly Rivera – Adult Division Grand Prize Winner
“I have a special fascination with eagles and look for them every day, everywhere I go! I never get tired of seeing them “in the wild” in Indiana again. I always hope for a perfect picture of an eagle and this so far has been my favorite. It helps me remember the day spent with family exploring and captures the majesty of the bald eagle!”
2020 Grand Prize Winner + Hoosiers Weigh in on Making “Earth Day Every Day”
Over 200 area residents shared their opinions in a recent survey about conservation and nature. They talked about ways they help protect the natural world every day, from the basics, like recycling and using less water, to projects like planting more native trees and shrubs around their home, adding native wildflowers to their flower beds, supporting conservation with their votes, or installing solar panels.
“Everyone can do something to help care for the earth each day.”
“I want a better earth for future generations.”
The survey was part of Oak Heritage Conservancy’s annual Nature and Farm Photo Contest. While voting for a grand prize winner, residents also weighed in with their thoughts about the year’s theme, “Earth Day Every Day.”
“We know this survey isn’t a complete cross section of Indiana, but we were still encouraged by how many Hoosiers told us they value protecting natural areas and open spaces like small family farms,” says Liz Brownlee, Executive Director of Oak Heritage. The nonprofit protects natural areas across southeast Indiana, and opens them to hikers, birdwatchers, and other visitors. Their partners on the project, George Rogers Clark Land Trust, protect working farmland.
Each year, the two groups host a Nature and Farm Photo Contest to get Hoosiers thinking about how natural areas and farms contribute to the beauty and character of Indiana. This year, they added a “Youth” category – and the Grand Prize Winner was actually a youth entry. Joshua Chastain, of Westport, is entering seventh grade this Fall. His photo earned the top spot out of 27 photos featured in the online exhibit .
Joshua wants to be a wildlife biologist when he grows up. He loves wildlife of all sorts – especially turtles. His winning photo was a close up of a turtle native to Indiana, a red-eared slider. Joshua takes the “Earth Day Every Day” pledge to heart.
“I save turtles and crawdads when I see them on the road by picking them up and moving them the direction they are going. I also catch insects, fish, and other creatures and study them. Then I release them.”
Joshua’s mom, Jennifer Chastain, said “I am amazed at Joshua’s love of nature and his natural gift with spotting unusual and rare wildlife and plants. He also has an uncanny knack for handling insects, frogs, toads, and other animals without harming them. My husband, Derek, teaches Biology and has encouraged him to explore nature. There are a lot of other adults and teachers in Joshua’s life that encourage him to learn about and love nature also.”
Oak Heritage Conservancy protects the special places that make southeast Indiana unique – and we host programs that get people outside in nature.
Click to learn more about the natural areas we’ve protected forever, for you to enjoy or to learn about our upcoming events in nature. Or better yet – get involved with our conservation work. You can help protect the special places in southeast Indiana.
George Rogers Clarks helps farmers protect their land from development and subdivision. Learn more at https://www.grclt.org/.
The photo contest is made possible by the Indiana Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Many thanks to the these groups for making the arts come alive in southeast Indiana.
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