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ELA 2023 Photo Contest

Photo Courtesy of Native Plant Trust

Do you love taking photos of native plants, gardens and landscapes? 

Share your photos in ELA’s 2023 Photo Contest

Send us your most inspiring photographs of plants, critters, landscapes, and people working with or on the land!

We are seeking photos for submission to the 2023 ELA PHOTO CONTEST in the following categories:

  • Best in Plants
  • Best in Critters
  • Best Action Shot (Ecological Landscaping in Practice)
  • Best Landscape
  • Best Pollinator
  • Best Overall

You’ll be entered to win a conference registration, a one-year ELA membership, or complimentary attendance to webinars and learning opportunities.

ELA will include the winning images in the October issue of the ELA quarterly publication, Into the Weeds, and winning photographs (with attribution) will also be posted on ELA’s website and social media outlets.

Photo Selection
A panel of judges will choose one overall winner as well as two honorable mentions per category.

All photographs remain the property of the photographer. By entering their photographs, contestants grant reprint permission to ELA and photographs may be used for displays, publications, and/or education purposes of ELA. Photographers will be credited with each use.

Prizes
Grand Prize Winner will receive complimentary admission to the 30th Annual Conference. Value $250.

First place winners in each category will receive a one-year Professional Membership to ELA. If the winner has a current membership, the membership will be extended for one year. Value $100.

Prizes will be announced in the August ELA Monthly Bulletin and winners will be featured in an article in the October Quarterly publication Into the Weeds and on the ELA website.

Ideas for Photographing
Here are some questions to consider when submitting your photographs for consideration:

  • What can your photograph tell us about the place where the plants are growing and how they’re responding to their environment?
  • Can your photo provide insight into plants’ lives and their interactions with other organisms?
  • How do plants that grow together (with plants of the same or different species) complement each other functionally and visually?
  • How can the composition of your photo convey mood, emphasize a particular element, or sculpt the empty space between the featured elements?
  • What kind of light best suits your subject?
  • How would damp weather, early morning light, or late afternoon sun bring out aspects we might not otherwise see?
  • What’s the best angle to shoot from – both relative to your subject, and relative to the light?
  • What’s most exciting about your subject, and how can you have the most fun with it?

Photo Submission Requirements

  • Photos should be close to 2000 pixels wide and no more than 5 MB.
  • Photos must be submitted in JPG or PNG file format
  • File titling conventions should include your last name-description of photo-location of photo (if known)
  • Photos should have been taken within the past 18 months.
  • The deadline for submission is 5:00 pm, Friday, June 30, 2023.
  • There is no limit to the number of contest photos submitted.
  • Photos should be submitted using the ELA Photo Contest form (below).

ELA Board Members and staff are not eligible to enter.