Fish and Wildlife announces 2013 Fishing Photo Contest

With summer winding down and fall fishing weather just around the corner, there’s still plenty of time to take great photos of anglers enjoying the outdoors and submit them to the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s 2013 Delaware Fishing Photo Contest before the Oct. 15 deadline. The winning photo will be featured on the cover or inside the 2014 Delaware Fishing Guide to be published in early 2014.

A judging panel composed of Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control staff will be looking for photos that best portray this year’s contest theme, Conservationists Enjoying the Outdoors. Judges also will look at technical criteria including resolution, clarity and composition.

“After the success of last year’s contest, we are hoping that once again photographers from all over the state will share some of their best images with us, so we can share them with the fishing public,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Saveikis. “This year we look forward to photos that catch the conservation actions of anglers as they enjoy our great outdoors.”

The contest is open to Delaware residents of all ages, with a maximum of three entries per person. To be eligible, photographs must have been taken in Delaware. Portrait orientation is preferred; landscape photos, if chosen among contest winners, may be cropped for presentation.

Entries may be mailed to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, Attn: Crystal Beck, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901. All entries must be postmarked or delivered by Tuesday, Oct. 15, and must include a completed and signed entry form. A photo release form signed by a parent or guardian also is required if a minor child is in the photo.

Information and forms are available at www.dnrec.delaware.gov or www.facebook.com/delawarefishwildlife. Information also may be requested by calling Crystal Beck at 302-739-9911, or emailing crystal.beck@state.de.us.

Photos must be submitted as 8-by-10 paper or photo-quality prints, with no frames or mats and no markings or signatures on the front or back. Winning entries must be available in a digital version with resolution of 300 dpi or greater. Normal processing of RAW image files, minimal cropping and minor adjustments to color and contrast are acceptable. HDR and focus stacking are permitted as long as manipulation is disclosed upon entry. Nothing should be added to the image or, aside from dust spots, taken away. The entrant must hold all rights to the photograph and must not infringe on the rights of any other person. Images that involve unlawful harm to fish or damage to the environment should not be submitted and will not be accepted. Entries will not be returned.

The division’s 2013 Hunting Photo Contest will accept entries from Sunday, Sept. 1, to Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, with similar guidelines.