Ready to go wild with your camera? The BC SPCA’s eighth annual Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest, featuring a new platform and a brand-new look, is now open for entries. Each year, participating shutterbugs strive to capture the best of British Columbia’s wildlife through the lens, from the comfort of their own backyards to the massive array of options in the province’s vast wilderness. All amateur photographers at least 14 years of age are invited to enter the competition, which runs from July 1 to Sept. 30, by submitting their most impressive digital images of BC’s wildlife at rest, work and play.
“The hundreds of images we receive each year are absolutely stunning! They really showcase the astonishing diversity of wild animals we have in BC, in urban settings and in isolated locations,” says BC SPCA chief scientific officer Dr. Sara Dubois. “It certainly makes it hard for the judges to choose the winning photos, which is why we’re excited to announce that this year, there’s a new category participating photographers can win — the People’s Choice Award.”
By donating to vote, those who cast a ballot for their favourite images will also help animals in need with their donation, Dubois notes. The contest supports the BC SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) on Vancouver Island, where nearly 3,000 orphaned and injured wild animals are cared for each year.
Photos entered in previous contests have been featured in the BC SPCA’s Animal Sense and Bark! magazines, as well as in BC SPCA educational materials, local newspapers, websites and social media — a testament to the caliber of the images that are entered.
Prizes are awarded for the top three photos in each of two categories: wild settings and backyard habitats. The competition is open to all amateur photographers aged 14 and up. All photos of wildlife entered must be taken within BC and submitted digitally. “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. Learn more about this year’s contest and view past winners’ images at spca.bc.ca/wildlife-in-focus.
“We’re really looking forward to what our province’s photographers will send us this year — they never cease to amaze,” Dubois says. “Participants always go above and beyond to find striking photo opportunities that represent the resiliency of local wildlife living at the interface with humans.”
Photographers can also find inspiration online, with the 24/7 live-streaming Wild ARC Critter Cam, which features wild patients.
For more information, email contest@wildarc.com.
