National Wildlife Federation Magazine Photo Contest

OH MY GOSH! I WON! 
A PHOTO BY SCENIC VIBE PHOTOGRAPHY HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN A MAGAZINE!

In March of 2018, I entered a few of my nature photos in the annual National Wildlife Magazine Photo Contest…and then promptly forgot about it. I knew there would be a lot of entries from photographers with far more advanced equipment and skills, and I didn’t really count myself as a potential winner. I was just happy to find contests to enter my photos in! Flash forward to September when I was cleaning out my inbox and found an email from August telling me I’d been selected as a finalist!!  I responded right away and sent in the full resolution version of the photo, assuming I’d missed the deadline for inclusion. I shrugged it off… “Oh well! This was a lesson for me to be more diligent and organized for next year’s contest.” And then it happened….I got a phone call in October.

“CONGRATULATIONS!  I’m delighted to inform you that your photograph has been awarded First Place in the Backyard Habitats category.“

😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

“This prestigious contest drew more than 23,000 entries from across the globe. The 2018 entries painted a vivid picture of wildlife and wild places, from avian artistry to underwater majesty to the struggle and beauty of life on the edge. Each photograph celebrates the power and beauty of nature and inspires its protection.”  

This is truly such an amazing and unexpected honor for me. Each year, I improve my backyard to add more native plant species… butterfly bushes, milkweed, coneflowers, roses, marigolds, lilies, grasses and trees…the flora that will provide shelter and food for all the fauna that graces my yard with its beauty. I absolutely love to photograph the insects, animals and plants I find in the outside world, and I love to share those photos with others to encourage and promote interest in nature. Receiving an award of such high caliber for that work is extremely humbling and I am incredibly grateful to receive this gift of recognition. Congratulations to my fellow winners!  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to the judges and voters who selected my photo for this honor…and thank you to all who appreciate and celebrate nature!

Read the full article to see the amazing winning photographs.