PHOTO CONTEST: Resilient Agriculture
From landscape scale to close-up, we're looking for gorgeous images
that portray crop diversity, perennial crops, integrated forage-livestock
systems, and conservation of soil nutrients.
PHOTO SUBJECTS
We're interested in pictures that illustrate agricultural resilience and associated key concepts: crop diversity, perennial crops, integrated forage-livestock systems, and circular systems of soil nutrient cycling.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
Everyone is welcome to submit entries for this competition, including hobbyists and professionals, youth and adults. However, images may only be submitted by the photographers who took them. Postproduction is acceptable, but postproduction may only be performed by the photographer who captured the original image.
Separate awards will be given for youth under the age of 18, and persons over 18.
AWARDS
For adult and for youth, we will award a first place and a runner-up in each of the categories below. There will be 16 awards in total: four adult first place, four runners-up; four youth first place and four youth runners-up. First place winners receive a $50 Amazon gift card. Runners-up receives a $25 Amazon gift card. Plus, all awarded photos will be published on our future website and used in peer reviewed Extension publications. This will give winning photographers citable photo credits. (All awarded photos become copyrighted material of the Resilience CAP.)
Perennial crops in cropping systems or crop rotations: Ideally, images in this category illustrate key benefits of perennial crops and cropping systems such as: land cover, soil conservation, reduced tillage, biodiversity, pollinator benefits, water pollution prevention.
Crop diversity: Images should illustrate diversity of crops within a cropping system or crop rotation. Perennial crops include grains, legumes, grasses, and plants used as forages.
Integrated forage-livestock systems: Images in this category must show livestock and/or dung as essential components of soil fertility. Additionally, photos in this category should show how integrated forage-livestock production systems help these nutrients stay on, or in the soil instead of being unused resources or lost to the environment where they can become waterway pollutants. Ideally, images in this category illustrate how well-managed, integrated forage livestock systems contribute to healthy ecosystems and healthy waterways.
Agricultural Resilience: Images in this category should convey how resilience in agriculture is a benefit to farmers and ranchers, livestock, communities, and the environment
Each accepted photo will be scored on the following criteria:
• Photographic composition: Narrative and overall attractiveness
• Accurate portrayal of subject matter
• Nuance of portrayal of subject matter
• Technical excellence
• Appropriateness for educational, outreach, and scientific communications
• Uniqueness of voice
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
No more than three photos will be accepted per photographer.
Submission deadline is September 15th, 2023.
Submit images as a file attachment using the file name <lastname_firstname_middleinitial> to Carol Williams, RCAP Coordinator, at clwilliams4@wisc.edu, with "RCAP PHOTO CONTEST ENTRY" in the subject line. Attach one file per email. Indicate in the file name if submitting more than one photo, for example, <lastname_firstname_middleinitial_1>.
For each submitted photo (file) include the following information in the body of the email:
• name of photographer
• whether entry is for adult or youth competition
• email of photographer
• technical photo info (camera and post-production details)
• date of photo
• location of photo
• category of entry
• suggested caption
You will receive a receipt for your entry within two business days of submission.
MORE ABOUT THIS CONTEST
This photo contest is part of a national agricultural research and extension project based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and funded by USDA NIFA [AFRI Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project (SAS-CAP) grant no. 2021-68012-35917]. We're seeking photographs from within the U.S. that illustrate thriving, resilient agriculture featuring perennial crops and forages. Winning photos will appear in public communications, scientific articles, and school curriculum about The Resilience CAP, 2023agricultural resilience. We're interested in outstanding compositions that tell the story of agricultural resilience involving perennial crops and forages, diverse pastures, and the integration of livestock in these production systems.