The BC SPCA is calling on backyard photographers for its Wildlife-In-Focus photography contest.
The contest is now open, and photos submitted by Aug. 15 – as well as entries from last year’s contest – will be considered for an upcoming book by Vancouver author Nicholas Read.
City Critters: Living Wild in the Urban Jungle, from Orca Book Publishers, will be a full-colour children’s book about the urban wildlife who call North America home.
All other contest photos can be entered until Sept. 30.
Participants are encouraged to explore green spaces, roadsides, beaches and backyards to find striking images that represent the resiliency of local wildlife living at the interface with humans.
Wildlife includes free-living birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects, but not exotic, feral or domestic animals or wildlife in zoos or rehabilitation facilities.
Prizes will be awarded for the top three photos in each of two categories: wild settings and backyard habitats.
The contest is open to all adult (14 years of age and up) backyard and amateur photographers residing in B.C.
“We were thrilled to have the publisher review our contest photos last year, but to have another opportunity to include even more pictures from B.C.’s backyard and amateur photographers is exciting,” BC SPCA wildlife services manager Sara Dubois said in a release.
Read co-authored The Salmon Bears: Giants of the Great Bear Rainforest and The Sea Wolves: Living Wild in the Great Bear Rainforest with Ian McAllister.
“We’re very happy that Nicholas has asked to review this year’s early photo contest entries again,” Dubois said.
The 2011 Wildlife-In-Focus photography contest is a fundraiser for Wild ARC, the BC SPCA’s wildlife rehabilitation facility on Vancouver Island. Wild ARC cares for more than 1,800 orphaned and injured wild animals a year.
To learn more about this year’s contest and to see winners from 2010, visit spca.bc.ca/wildlife-in-focus