1  Who can enter? – This contest is for amateur photographers only, defined as someone who is NOT making their livelihood from their photos.

2  Categories – The categories this year are as follows: Birds (general), Mammals, Wildlife (general), Landscape, and Wildflowers. This year’s featured category is Night Sky.

a. Birds (general) includes all bird species.

b. The Wildlife (general) category includes any wildlife except birds and mammals. It does include reptiles, amphibians, insects & invertebrates, fish, and fungi.

c. Photos submitted to the featured Night Sky category should include a terrestrial landscape component. Photos should focus on the night sky but also include terrestrial landscape in order to showcase the beauty of the Glacial Lake Grantsburg properties.

3  Submission Guidelines –

a.  New*** Individuals may submit a maximum of 2 entries per category for a maximum of 12 possible entries to the contest overall.

b.  A fee of $6 per photo will be charged to cover the cost of printing and prizes.  Extra funds (if any) will be donated to the Friends of Crex Land Acquisition Fund.

c.  Photos that are obviously altered beyond simple adjustments to color, contrast, sharpening, and cropping shall be removed from the contest.  HDR photos are acceptable for the landscape category.

d.  The entrant must determine themselves which entries they want to submit and which category it fits under – please do not send multiple photos with directions for us to choose which to enter.  Any unclear submissions will be returned.

e.  The photograph must have been taken within the Glacial Lakes Grantsburg managed properties (Crex Meadows, Fish Lake, and Amsterdam Sloughs wildlife areas).

f.  Photos can have been taken in 2025 or before.

g.   The person who took the photograph must be the person whose name is on the entry.

h.  A printed copy of the photo does NOT need to be submitted. Entries will only be accepted on our website.

i.    Photos should be submitted to the Friends of Crex website (www.crexmeadows.org/photo-contest/) and be 3mb or larger in size. Friends of Crex will print your photos to display in the visitor center. Submitted photos must be formatted to print at an 8” x 10” size. Friends of Crex will not edit your photos for you and they will be returned if they are not suitable.

j.  The photographer of each submission grants Friends of Crex, Inc. permission to use the images for advertising, sales items, calendars, on www.crexmeadows.org, Facebook, etc. FOC will always give photo credit to all published photos.

k. Photos may be featured on FOC’s printed calendar (will be available for sale), social media, newsletters, and brochures (winning and non-winning photos may be used).

l. The submission deadline is July 13, 2025.

m.  Entries that do not fit into the guidelines of this contest will be omitted. Entry fees will not be refunded.

4  Voting –

a.  FOC will display the submissions at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Education & Visitor Center and on our website beginning July 23, 2025.  All efforts will be taken to display the photos in a fair and un-biased manner.

b.  Voting will be open to FOC members, contest entrants, and the general public.

c.  Only one vote per person will be allowed.  Voting will close at 4:00 p.m. on August 7, 2025.  Winners will be announced by the end of the day August 8, 2025. Any votes suspected to be duplicates will be removed at FOC’s discretion.

5  Winning Photos  —

a.   First and second place winners in each category will receive an e-gift card to the Bog Shoe Gift Shop. Prize amounts will be determined based on number of entries.

b.  The photo voted Best in Show will receive an additional e-gift card to the Bog Shoe Gift Shop.

c.  New*** A Critic’s Choice award will be awarded to one or more photos that are technically excellent. Photos will be chosen by a representative of Friend’s of Crex with experience judging photography. Prizes for photos(s) receiving a Critic’s Choice award will be announced at a later date.

d. Winning photos will be displayed at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Education & Visitor Center.

e. Winners will be notified within one week of the end of the contest. Gift cards will be collected via email. Any physical prizes can be picked up at the Crex Meadows Wildlife Education & Visitor Center.

Please contact Friends of Crex with any questions via email (information@crexmeadows.org) or phone (715-463-2739).

Brought to you by the
Friends of Crex
102 E Crex Ave
Grantsburg, WI 54840
715-463-2739
www.crexmeadows.org