By Jayne Hanson

An Arizona statewide wildlife photography contest is now open for submissions, and the winners will be featured in a next year’s calendar and an award-winning publication.

Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 12^th annual Arizona Wildlife Calendar Photo Contest will result in one Best in Show and 11 first-place winners, all of which will be within the agency’s 2019 calendar. The winning submissions also will be published in the November-December Arizona Wildlife Views, according to a press release.

“Arizona’s diverse wildlife provides ample opportunities to snap deer, elk or bighorn sheep minding their own business or a colorful hummingbird drinking from a feeder right in your own backyard,” the press release states. “You might also see a great blue heron landing in a local pone or feeding on a dragonfly.”

The photos are sought by AZGFD until the contest deadline of 5p.m. MST, Friday, Aug. 10. Cash prizes will be awarded. Prize money is generated via the related publication sales. AZGFD officials didn’t immediately respond to details as to prize amounts.

The submissions will be numbered and be sans personal information. Each is anonymously evaluated on merit of creativity, photographic quality, effectiveness in conveying the unique character of the subject, and whether or not submitted images meet basic size and formatting requirements.

Email photo submissions to: photocontest@azgfd.gov. Submissions are subject to size and wildlife content. For example, smartphone photos aren’t adequate size to qualify. All photos must be from within Arizona. Please don’t include photos of insects, pets, livestock, horses, wild burros, or any animal in captivity. Furthermore, photos of baby birds in a nest, or baby elk, deer or pronghorn bedded down will be disqualified. The measure is to dissuade the approach and disturbance of young wildlife.

For official rules pertaining to the contest, click here.

Jayne Hanson/RiverScene