Being in nature helps us to connect, learn, and grow. Whether you’re a biker or a birder, a hiker or a climber, a photographer or a painter – or maybe all of the above – we all have a unique connection to this wild and green place we call home. 

As a state-wide organization working to protect our wild lands and waters, we love seeing photos from your adventures in the outdoors. Your photos help us tell the story of our state’s wild legacy and advance efforts to defend our public lands from new and ongoing threats. 

We welcome you to submit your photos to our 2020 Photo Contest by August 14. If you feel compelled, please feel free to share your story with us, too. Thank you for helping us capture the beauty of Washington’s wild places! 

ENTRY PERIOD: 

The Washington Wild Photo Contest begins on Friday, June 5 at 12AM (PDT) and ends Friday, August 14th at 11:59 PM (PDT). Entries submitted before or after the entry period will not be eligible for consideration in the contest. 

WHAT TO ENTER: 

With the exception of the “Wild Within our Communities” category, photos submitted to the contest must be taken within one of the following: 

• Any of Washington’s National Forests 
• Designated Wilderness areas in Washington 
• Any of Washington’s National Parks 
• Inventoried Roadless areas in Washington 
• Any of Washington’s wild rivers, streams, or lakes on federal land 
• Any areas in Washington within proposed wilderness such as the Wild Olympics 

CATEGORIES: 

One winner will be selected from each of the following categories: Fish and Wildlife, People and Public Lands, Wild Waters, and Wild Within our Communities. All photos are welcome, but to be considered for prizes, you must submit photos that fall into one of these specific categories. Please indicate which category you are submitting your photo(s) to – see “How to Enter” below. 

FISH AND WILDLIFE – Orcas, salmon, and bears – oh my! Submit photos to this category that depict fish and wildlife in Washington. Remember to give wildlife plenty of space. 

PEOPLE AND PUBLIC LANDS – Submit photos to this category that show people interacting with public lands. Those trail and summit shots are perfect for this category! 

WILD WATERS – Submit photos to this category that capture Washington’s wild rivers, streams, lakes, waterfalls and more in all their untamed glory! 

WILD WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES – There is natural beauty in our communities just waiting to be explored and shared. Submit photos to this category from close to home! This could be a local park or your own backyard.

YOUTH CONTEST: 

Our judges will select one winner from our new youth category! Submit your photos using the guidelines below and please indicate in your email that you are submitting as a youth. 

Must be 13 to 17 years of age as of the date of submission. 

HOW TO ENTER: 

Please email your photo entries directly to info@wawild.org. Please zip file your submissions if the files are too large to send. If you’d prefer to send via Dropbox or another platform, please email info@wawild.org. 

There is no limit to the number of entries per person. 

Please follow these guidelines for submitting your photos: 

• Include the first and last name of the photographer. 
• Include a caption for each photo including where it was taken and which category you are submitting to. This can be in the body of your email or attached as a document.  
• Photos must be in one of the following formats: JPEG, TIFF, or PNG. 
• Submit the highest-quality version of your photo. 

PRIZES:

There will be one winner selected from each of the above categories. Each winner will receive the below prize package.  

• WW Branded GRAYL 16 oz Ultralight Compact Purifier 
• Ascent Outdoors $50 gift card 

Youth Contest: 1 winner 

• WW Branded GRAYL 16 oz Ultralight Compact Purifier 
• Ascent Outdoors stainless-steel water bottle 
• Art Wolfe Book, “The Living Wild” 

SPONSORS:

Thank you to this year’s photo contest sponsors!  

JUDGING: 

Our 2020 Photo Contest Judging Committee is made up of WA Wild staff, board members, and local volunteer photographers. The committee will select a winner from all four adult categories, plus a youth category winner by August 28, 2020. 

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY: 

By submitting to this contest, I acknowledge the following: I grant Washington Wild a royalty-free, non–exclusive right, in perpetuity, to use my photo(s) in their communications and outreach such as (but not limited to) their website, newsletter, social media, brochures, and other print and electronic materials. I agree that the submitted photos may be cropped, edited, electronically manipulated, or otherwise altered for these uses. I grant Washington Wild the rights (as described above) to use my photograph(s), whether or not I win the contest. 

As a condition of this agreement, Washington Wild will credit all photographs with the photographer’s full name as provided.