RALEIGH, N.C. (October 4, 2021) – The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is now accepting entries to its 17^th annual Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition. The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers of all ages, except for employees of the Wildlife Commission, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and their immediate families (children, siblings and spouses). Entries will be accepted now through Jan. 31, 2022 at 5 p.m.

Entrants must be either current magazine subscribers or younger than 18 years old. Only digital entries in JPEG format and no larger than 2 megabytes will be considered — no slides, negatives or prints will be accepted. Photographs must have been taken in North Carolina on Sept. 15, 2017 or later.

Entrants may submit a maximum of two photos per category. The competition categories are:

• Animal Behavior
• Birds
• Invertebrates
• Mammals
• Outdoor Recreation
• Reptiles and Amphibians
• Wild Landscapes
• Wild Plants and Fungi
• Youth Photographer: Any of the above subjects, shot by photographers ages 13-17.
• Youth Photographer: Any of the above subjects, shot by photographers age 12 and younger.

Photos of captive native animals are allowed, but photos of animals that are both captive and non-native to North Carolina will not be accepted. No pets or domestic animals will be accepted, except animals participating with people in an outdoor activity, such as hunting dogs or horses with riders.

​Entries will be judged by a panel comprising of staff from the Wildlife Commission and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, as well as professional wildlife photographers. The grand prize winner’s photo will be published on the cover of the July/August 2022 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina, and they will receive a cash prize of $200. All the winning photographs will be published in the same edition of the magazine and exhibited at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Winners will also receive a print of their winning entry from JW Image Company, and cash prizes of $100, $75 and $50 will be awarded to the first, second and third place photographers in each category.

Additional details about the contest and past winning photos are available at ncwildlife.org/contest.

Wildlife in North Carolina is published bimonthly by the Wildlife Commission in both print and electronic formats. Subscribers to the magazine enjoy exceptional color photography and articles on hunting, fishing, natural areas, wildlife research and the state’s environment in every issue. Annual subscriptions to the printed version of the magazine are $12, or $30 for three years. A digital subscription is $10; a combination digital/print subscription is $15.