Welcome to
GARNA's 10
th annual photo contest! Through this fundraiser, GARNA celebrates extraordinary images that capture the Upper Arkansas River Valley's magnificent, inspiring, and fluid natural beauty. Winning images are used to create our annual Photo Calendar and greeting cards!
New this year: Pre-order your calendar as part of your entry or vote! Calendars (and cards) will be ready before the December holidays – they make a great gift!
2024 GARNA Photo Contest Categories:
Our theme for 2024 is "Ecosystems." We look forward to seeing your images that represent the various ecosystems in the Ark Valley. Examples for the five categories are listed but be creative with your entry!
- Forest (trees, critters, owls, landscapes, fall colors, etc)
- River (rivers, creeks, fish, frozen waterfalls, etc)
- Sky (clouds, birds, sunset/sunrise, etc) *yes, we know the sky is not technically an ecosystem...
- Desert (cactus, rock formations, lizards, etc)
- Alpine (summit shots, mountain, pikas, etc)
*All photos should be taken in the Upper Arkansas River Watershed - Leadville to Cañon City! Prizes
Photos will be judged by a panel of professional photographers, as well as a people's choice award. Judges will also give feedback on all submitted images.
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place for each of the 5 categories, decided by the judges, plus an overall 1st place for People's Choice.
Winning images of each category will be included in the annual photo calendar and/or greeting cards. Winners of each category and the People's Choice award will receive a free GARNA Photo Calendar or set of cards.
About
Mission:
GARNA, through community collaboration, inspires a conservation ethic by providing educational opportunities and experiences so that those who live, work and play in the Upper Arkansas Valley are motivated to take care of the natural resources and leave a legacy of responsible use of the natural environment.
About:
In the heart of the Rocky Mountains of South-Central Colorado, spanning the 143-mile length of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area State Park, the Greater Arkansas River Nature Association (GARNA) serves the watershed of the Upper Arkansas Valley from Leadville to Canon City. GARNA is a community connector through its Youth Ecological Literacy Program, its popular clubs, such as the Birding, Hiking and Book Clubs, and community education programs that empower residents and visitors to be good stewards of the landscape. Through its diverse programs, GARNA engages over 5000 people each year. GARNA is a popular landing place for new residents who want to know more about the valley’s natural resources, water management, public lands management, and sustainability. They learn about these issues and more through GARNA programs ranging from fire ecology to composting and recycling, from water quality monitoring to mushroom and wildflower hikes.
GARNA manages the largest group of volunteers in the Upper Arkansas River valley through its Friends of Public Lands chapters, environmental education, and sustainability efforts. Each year, over 200 hardworking volunteers clean, maintain, and improve the health of the river ecosystem in the Arkansas Headwater Recreation Area State Park and the surrounding public lands managed by federal agencies.
GARNA also administers the Chaffee County Heritage Area Advisory Board (CCHAAB), established by Chaffee County resolution in 2004. The CCHAAB has completed numerous state and national level historic nominations, preserving Chaffee County's rich history and agricultural heritage. The CCHAAB plans and implements the Collegiate Peaks Scenic and Historic Byway, one of 26 Colorado driving byways that connect the dots between historic sites and vistas of majestic scenery. The byway is instrumental for maintaining scenic viewsheds and enabling multi-modal byway offshoots such as the Leadville to Salida Stage and Rail Trail.
For more information, check out our website at
garna.org.
To become a member and support GARNA's mission, click
here.
Photo Submissions:
- There is a $10 donation for each submission.
- Include specific information about where each photo was taken and when with all submissions.
- Submitted photos must be taken within the Upper Arkansas Valley Watershed (i.e. Leadville to Canon City, Monarch Pass, Trout Creek Pass, Collegiate Peaks Wilderness).
- Do not include recognizable people.
- Submission photos may not have been used previously for professional purposes.
- All submitted photos become property of GARNA for promotional and other purposes, however the photographer retains ownership and rights to use the photo how he/she chooses.
- Photos must be high resolution.
- GARNA board/staff may remove/refund any photos they find inappropriate from the contest.
- There is no limit on how many photos participants may submit.
- Entries must be submitted before 5:00:00 PM (Mountain Time) on Friday, November 1, 2024.
Voting:
- To vote on a photo click on the "view entries & vote" button on the right side of the home page, then click on a thumbnail to enlarge the photo and vote.
- Online votes for photo entries must be submitted before 11:59:59 PM (Mountain Time) on Sunday, November 17, 2024 .
- Minimum $5 donation (equals to 5 votes).