Nat’l Park Service announces photo contest

The National Park Service will again present a photo contest, "Spirit of the Mountains."

Open to amateur photographers only, photographs must be taken within the boundary of Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area parkland. Digital or film prints, color or black and white photographs are accepted.

The four categories include flora (plants, trees, ferns, and flowers), fauna (mammals, reptiles, birds, insects), scenic shots (scenic vistas, seasons, water), and photographer’s choice. Under this category, the photographer should choose one sub-category. The choices are: a) creative—includes manipulated photos, double exposure, macro close-ups, and patterns in nature; b) people in parklands—such as people engaged in recreational or cultural activities; c) black and white—including sepia; and d) 12 and under—photos taken by children 12 years or younger.

Winning entries: first, second, and third place winners are possible in the plants, animals and scenic shots categories. Only one first, one second, one third place winner, and one honorable mention will be distributed among the four sub-categories of the photo-grapher’s choice category.

Prizes: first place winners will be published in Outdoors, the National Park Service’s quarterly calendar of events and programs with an average circulation of 30,000 issues. Second and third place winners may have a small inset photo in Outdoors if space permits.

Entries will be exhibited from Sept. 20 to Nov. 24 in the National Park Service Visitor Center.

To get a copy of the entry form and rules of the contest, write to NPS Photo Contest, 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360-4207, or call the National Park Service Visitor Information Center at (805) 370-2301. Entry forms are also available on the Web at www.nps.gov/samo/photo.