Visiting Alabama? Take State Park Photos for This Outdoor Contest

While Georgia has it's fair share of beautiful state parks, there's plenty to explore in neighboring Alabama, too. And if you're visiting any Alabama State Park soon, take plenty of photos to enter in the annual Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest.

Georgia residents visiting Alabama are eligible to enter the Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest.Photo byYehleen gaffneyonUnsplash

Open to Alabama State park visitors and amateur photographers , the Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest is a joint project between the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) and the Alabama Tourism Department (Tourism). Photos must be taken in qualifying Alabama State Parks during 2022 or 2023. So even if you haven't visited yet, there's plenty of time to get photos and enter.

The Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest celebrates traditional photography. Thus, eligible photos must be high-quality digital images from handheld cameras only. No cellphone, smartphone, game camera or drone images will be accepted -- except cellphone photos by thos 17-and-under entered in the young photographers category.

Entries can be submitted in one of 10 categories:

• Birds: Native or migratory songbirds, hummingbirds, game birds, and raptors.
• Bugs and Butterflies: Bugs, insects and arthropods. Examples include bees, butterflies, centipedes, dragonflies and spiders.
• Cold-blooded Critters: Turtles, frogs, snakes, lizards, salamanders, crayfish, and fish.
• Nature-Based Recreation: Photos of people enjoying outdoor recreation. Examples include hunting, fishing, shooting sports, boating, paddling, hiking, camping, mountain biking, rock climbing, and surfing. Hunting and fishing photos are highly encouraged. Note: No organized sports.
• Scenic: Waterfalls, mountain and canyon vistas, beach and coastal scenery, landscapes, swamps and bayous, wetlands, sunrises and sunsets, and nighttime photos such as astrophotography are included in this category. The photos may include people, but the scenery must be the prominent feature.
• Shoots and Roots: Wildflowers, foliage, fungi, fruiting bodies, and other parts of plants or trees can be entered in this category. Native flora and fungi are highly encouraged.
• Sweet Home Alabama: Photos in which natural or manmade landmarks or other inanimate objects are prominent. Photos of regional festivals throughout the state may also be entered in this category. Examples include Birmingham’s Vulcan statue, Alabama’s Natural Bridge, city skylines, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s Saturn V, and the National Peanut Festival.
• Wildlife: Mammals such as deer, squirrels, black bear, bats, otters, foxes and almost anything else with fur. Note: No pets or livestock.
• Young Photographers: This category is reserved for photographers ages 17 and younger. The subject matter can be any of the categories above. Cellphone photos will be accepted in this category ONLY. Ages 18 and up must enter any of the other categories.

For complete information and rules, visit the photo contest page at OutdoorAlabama.com.