“Fog and Trees on Nick Eaton Trail,” by Colleen Wright, was the grand prize winner in the Friends of the Columbia Gorge “Capturing Resilience” 2018 Photo Contest. The 2019 theme is “Nature + Nurture.”
“Fog and Trees on Nick Eaton Trail,” by Colleen Wright, was the grand prize winner in the Friends of the Columbia Gorge “Capturing Resilience” 2018 Photo Contest. The 2019 theme is “Nature + Nurture.”
Friends of the Columbia Gorge, a Portland-based conservation organization dedicated to protecting the scenic, natural, cultural and recreational resources of the Columbia Gorge, is now accepting submissions for its fifth annual photo contest. The 2019 contest is entitled Nature + Nurture.
The Friends’ photo contest gives photography enthusiasts the opportunity to capture the sense of awe and wonder that the Columbia Gorge instills in both its residents and the millions of people who visit it each year, according to a press release. The contest also provides an opportunity for the Friends to partner with the Pacific Northwest photography community and help illustrate the need to protect the Gorge’s wild, beautiful landscape for future generations.
The theme of this year’s contest, Nature + Nurture, acknowledges both the stunning natural beauty of the Columbia Gorge and the need to protect and responsibly steward it for future generations, said a press release.
“I have spent countless hours in the Gorge, hiking its trails, photographing its landscapes and wildlife,” said Debbie Asakawa, a former member of the Friends of the Columbia Gorge board of directors and longtime hike leader who is serving on the judging panel for this year’s photo contest. “It’s a place I return to time and again for solace and inspiration. It’s an immense but also fragile place, and it is our responsibility to care for and protect it.”
This year, Friends will honor winners in seven categories in addition to the grand prize winner. The categories are: Community & Culture, Nature & Nurture, Scenic-Eastern Gorge, Scenic-Western Gorge, Wildflowers, Wildlife, and Youth Photographer (age 17 and under).
The grand prize winner will be chosen from all of the submissions and can come from any category. This year’s contest sponsor is Pro Photo Supply of Portland, which also sponsored last year’s contest.
A former grand prize and category-winner of the photo contest, photographer Jeremiah Leipold, will serve as a judge for this year’s edition. “I am honored to take part in this year’s photo contest as a judge,” Leipold said. “The Gorge is such a special place, one of my very favorite places to take photographs. And it has been a privilege to have my photography of the Gorge recognized by Friends.”
The winning photographs will be publicly announced at Friends’ Annual Meeting and Luncheon at Skamania Lodge on Sunday, April 19.
The contest opened Oct. 10 and the deadline to submit is Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST. When taking photos, Friends asks that photographers please stay on trails and practice Leave No Trace principles. Any photos that, to the best of the Friends’ knowledge, are taken from off-trail or closed-trail locations will not be considered, and people in photos must be demonstrating good land stewardship ethics and behaving in a lawful manner. Inappropriate photos will be ineligible for the contest.
For the complete list of contest rules, photo requirements, or to submit photos, visit gorgefriends.org/photocontest.
Photo Contest Categories
Descriptions provided by Friends of the Columbia Gorge.
Each of the seven category winners will receive a $100 Pro Photo Supply gift card and a large print of their photo. All submissions, in any category, are eligible for the grand prize.
Community and Culture: Culture runs deep in the Columbia Gorge, in some places reaching back 10,000 years or more. Subjects for this category could include petroglyphs and other art; infrastructure and examples of the sustainable built environment; Gorge life, community conservation; and other depictions of people interacting with the Gorge landscape.
Nature and Nurture: From everyday stewardship to community activism, there are lots of ways to help preserve and protect the Gorge for generations to come. We welcome photos capturing the intersection of nature and nurture — including outdoor youth education, stewardship programs, community activism, and more.
Scenic Western Gorge (western boundary of the National Scenic Area to Viento State Park in Oregon and Dog Creek Falls in Washington): A breathtaking photo of the Gorge often says more than words about the need to protect this special place. This category includes vistas, waterfalls and anything else that constitutes a view of a natural Gorge landscape.
Scenic Eastern Gorge (I-84 Exit 58 in Oregon and Cook in Washington, to eastern boundary of the National Scenic Area): Please note, Western or Eastern designation will be determined by location of photographer where the photo was taken; it is especially helpful if you note this in photo description.
Wildflowers: Are you sitting on a bunch of great photos you took this spring and summer of some of the 800-plus types of wildflowers that bloom in the Gorge, more than a dozen of which grow nowhere else on the planet?
Wildlife: From easy-to-spot waterfowl, to basking turtles, to elusive bears and pika, the Gorge is home to an abundance of wildlife. Can your camera capture that perfect image of wildlife in their element?
Youth Photographer: Instilling a sense of love and responsibility from a young age is important for developing future generations of Gorge protectors. This category includes photos of any subject submitted by photographers ages 17 and under (please note age on photo submission form).
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