In honor of our new exhibit opening, the Florida Museum is hosting the Water Shapes Florida Photo Challenge! The challenge is designed to educate and promote awareness of Florida’s freshwater habitats.
Capture your best picture and enter by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 1, for your chance to win prizes! Anyone, at any age, can enter this free challenge.
The Museum will reveal the top 10 images from entries received on March 11, and the public will select the overall winner by voting on the Museum’s website for their favorite from March 11 to 15. In addition, there will be a Judges’ Award given to the judging panel’s favorite image.
Who can enter: Anyone, at any age! This is a national contest open to amateur photographers.
Theme: Spring into the Springs
Image criteria: Depiction of biodiversity in Florida springs including flora or fauna in freshwater springs, rivers and watersheds.
Judging: The Florida Museum photography department will select the top 10 images from all entries received by the deadline that meet the challenge criteria and requirements. The Museum will post these images online from March 11 to 15 and the public will select the overall winner via online voting. In addition, there will be a Judges’ Award given to the judging panel’s favorite image.
Prize: Gift basket, including Museum merchandise and eight Butterfly Rainforest tickets. The winning photograph will be featured on the Museum’s website and displayed at the Florida Museum of Natural History through the end of March.
Photo entry must have been taken within the last year. Any photo taken before January 2023 will be disqualified.
Entries must include some aspect of the theme in the image.
Save image as a .jpg.
Name .jpg file as entrant’s initials and date the image was taken. Example: kg081523.jpg (kg for Kristen Grace, 081523 for August 15, 2023).
Apply only minor post-production adjustments. Please do not resize image. Example: cropping, color correction and minor image sharpening are acceptable. Images with heavy manipulation such as changing the content of the image or combining multiple images will be disqualified. No AI-generated content is permitted. The decision of the judges is final.
Entry must include a description of the location of the image.
Only email entries will be accepted. Please do not send hard copies (prints). In email, include entrant’s full name and home/cell phone number.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
By submitting a photo, the entrant authorizes the Florida Museum of Natural History to utilize the image for promotional purposes in print, broadcast, and online outlets, including use on social media sites.
By submitting a photo, the entrant agrees to all contest rules and requirements, and attests that the photograph is the entrant’s own work, and that the entrant owns all copyrights associated with it.
By submitting a photo, the entrant acknowledges that the subjects in the photo have granted permission to have their picture published.
What are the judges looking for in a photo?
Good composition, exposure and the best depiction of the theme.
Who will judge the contest?
The museum communications team will select the top 10 and the winner will be selected via voting on the Florida Museum website. There will also be a Judges’ Award.
How many winners will there be?
First, Second and Third place winners. There will also be a Judges’ Award.
When will the winners be determined? When will they be notified?
End of the day of March 15. Winners will be notified via email.
Are monochrome (black and white) photos acceptable?
Yes.
Does it matter when or where my photographs were taken?
Yes, photographs need to be taken since January 2023 and need to depict Florida’s freshwater resources.
Can I submit a photo I submitted in another contest?
Take a ride on a glass-bottom boat, walk through a hammock forest, explore the aquifer and more as you learn about our state’s most important natural resource in this interactive bilingual experience.
The Recharge Lounge connects visitors to current water issues using a mix of multimedia experiences, interpretive graphics and hands-on displays.
Visitors will join Captain Bill on a simulated ride in a glass-bottom-boat theater to visit local springs and learn more about these unique environments.
A new log cabin display will welcome visitors to the classic cave and hammock area. The museum’s iconic cave remains as part of the exhibit and will be refreshed with new technology, graphics and content.
The Water Lab features real objects and specimens to give visitors a deeper look into Florida’s water and the aquifer below.
An overview of the “Water Shapes Florida” exhibit.
The Florida Museum may photograph or video visitors for educational and promotional purposes. Attendance to a Florida Museum event constitutes the attendee’s consent regarding the possibility of appearing in Museum marketing materials.
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Capture your best picture and enter by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 1, for your chance to win prizes! Anyone, at any age, can enter this free challenge.
