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Great Outdoors 2016 Contest Winners

Grand Prize: Don Martin

Title: Morning Conversation

This photo was taken at the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands in Viera, Fla. I had been photographing this family of great blue herons for several months, from the time they first started building their nest to the baby chicks appearing. This was one of the first days the chicks started to become very active and were able to stand on their own.

I could see that as they were struggling to find their footing, they kept chirping at their mother, finally rearing straight up on their legs and putting their heads in the air, demanding her attention. I imagined at the time that since it was late morning, the chicks and mother were discussing their lunch options.

I’ve learned in my short experience with bird photography that the saying, “I would rather be lucky than good,” certainly holds true.

Equipment: Nikon D810, Tamron (150.0-600.0mm ƒ/5.0-6.3), MeFoto C1350 tripod and ball head. Image processed in Adobe Lightroom, 600mm, 1/1600sec at ƒ/6.3, ISO 280

Second Prize: Delton Young

Title: Paradise Trees

Mt. Rainier National Park is a photographer’s paradise in winter—if the roads aren’t closed by heavy snowfall, and if one is comfortable on snowshoes. From the Paradise Visitor’s Center, there are several trails leading up and across the mountain (check with the park rangers about avalanche conditions). Mt. Rainier holds the world record for one-year snowfall total, but occasionally, the mountain is enveloped in fog, creating the impression of trees floating in the mists. This image was created less than a mile up the trail toward Panorama Point.

Equipment: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 24-105mm ƒ/4L. 1/200th sec. at ƒ/13, Gitzo tripod

Third Prize: Lana Gramlich

Title: Sunrise At The Flatwoods

The Abita Creek Flatwoods Preserve is very close to my home in the Greater New Orleans area. Three ecosystems meet here—lash pine/pond cypress woodlands, bayhead swamp and critically endangered longleaf pine savanna—providing a variety of photographic opportunities. Enjoying a short walk there last autumn, I found a massive wildflower bloom in progress. Not just wildflowers, but also peak color for the shiny, pink tips of the tall sugarcane plume grass. We don’t really get autumn color in Southeastern Louisiana, but this lovely combination was just as good. I knew it would be even better at sunrise, and my husband, a fellow nature lover and my photographic pack mule, agreed to go back with me the next day.

We returned to the site shortly after sunrise on Oct. 11, 2015. The light was great, and an unexpected touch of morning mist added atmosphere to the background. I worked furiously, taking as many pictures as I could cram into that first hour of the day. I strove for back lighting, for depth that would include the misty forest, and for shots that included both the yellow flowers and the pink grasses. I also stole moments to both marvel in awe with my husband at the natural beauty, and to appreciate it on what was the morning of our eighth wedding anniversary.

Equipment: Taken with my Canon EOS Rebel T2i and Tamron 16-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens, using a Sunpak 2001UT tripod and a generic, wired remote shutter button. ISO 100, 1/50 sec., ƒ/11, 46mm.

 

People's Choice Winner: Chad Briesemeister

Title: Pillar And Ice

I took this photo at the Apostle Islands Ice Caves, just outside of Cornucopia, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Superior. It’s a mile hike along the lake to the caves, and they continue for miles after that. Walking along the caves, I noticed this large rock pillar and thought I’d incorporate that into one of my shots, so I started looking for a composition and noticed a very small cave with some icicles formed around the outside. I thought if I could fit myself and equipment in the cave that the icicles would make a good frame for the shot. I managed to shimmy my way feet first into the cave without knocking the icicles off and get my camera set up while my wife looked on, wondering what the heck I was doing at this point. I start to compose my shot with the pillar in the center of the frame and the icicles around it. It was cloudy at this time, but I noticed a break in the clouds and some nice light hitting the rock, so I quickly got my settings where I wanted and took the shot. This was one of many shots that day, but “Pillar and Ice” was one of my favorites.

Taken with a Sony A99 camera and a Tamron 24-70mm lens. I set my lens at 24mm and focused on the rock and my aperture at F8 where this lens tends to be the sharpest.

My shutter speed was 1/20th sec @ ISO100. Taken on a Manfrotto 190 carbon-fiber tripod.

This was a single exposure shot edited in lightroom.

Prizes

1st Prize

Grand Prize

  • (1) $400 Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate
  • (1) Solo Drone with 3-Axis gimbal for GoPro from 3DR Robotics
  • (1) Landscape Pro software by Anthropics
  • (1) Corona 26 camera bag from Tamrac
  • (1) Slik Lite AL-420 tripod from Kenko-Tokina
  • (1) One-year Zinio digital subscription to Outdoor Photographer
  • Publication in the Winners gallery
  • Publication in an issue of Outdoor Photographer
2nd Prize

Second Prize

  • (1) $250 Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate
  • (1) Landscape Pro software by Anthropics
  • (1) Goblin Accessory Bag by Tamrac
  • (1) One-year Zinio digital subscription to Outdoor Photographer
  • Publication in the Winners gallery
  • Publication in an issue of Outdoor Photographer
3rd Prize

Third Prize

  • (1) $150 Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate
  • (1) Landscape Pro software by Anthropics
  • (1) Goblin Accessory Bag by Tamrac
  • (1) One-year Zinio digital subscription to Outdoor Photographer
  • Publication in the Winners gallery
  • Publication in an issue of Outdoor Photographer

Past Contests

Explore past winners, finalists and prizes from our previous contests.

View Contests

Frequently asked questions and official rules

Frequently Asked Questions

Thank you for your interest in The Great Outdoors Photo Contest.
We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t answered here, please send us an e-mail at [email protected] with the following details:

  1. The name of the contest (OP Great Outdoors 2016)
  2. Your username
  3. The image ID # (if applicable)
  4. The exact nature of your problem

Question: How do I enter?

Answer:

On the competition portal nav bar, click “Submit Images.” You’ll need to be logged in to your Outdoor Photographer account to enter. If you don’t have an account, click here to register for your free account. You may also log in using your Facebook account through the Connect With Facebook option.

Question: In what format should I submit my photos?

Answer:

Each photograph must be submitted in .JPG or .GIF format and cannot exceed 4 MB in size.

Question: How many photos can I enter?

Answer:

For this contest, we allow up to 5 photos maximum per person. Submitting more than 5 will disqualify you from the contest.

Question: I submitted five photos. Why did only one of them or none of them make it into the gallery?

Answer:

Each person’s photos are subject to approval. Once you submit photos, one of our editors approves or disapproves each photo for the online gallery. Additionally, title your photos with alphanumeric characters only. Please do not use apostrophes, ampersands or any other character symbol, as doing so August cause errors during uploading.

Question: When can I vote for the People's Choice Awards?

Answer:

The voting period for the People’s Choice Awards is sometime in October 2016.

Question: How do I vote during the People's Choice Award Voting Period?

Answer:

Step 1: Log in to your OP account or, if you don’t yet have an account, register.
Step 2: Check out the Finalists Gallery to see which images are eligible for your vote. The Finalists Gallery will be posted sometime in October 2016.
Step 3: Vote! Simply click on the VOTE/checkmark icon on the bottom right of each photo. Vote for as many photos as you’d like!

Question: When will the winners be notified?

Answer:

Sometime in October 2016.

Question: When will the winners be announced?

Answer:

The First Place Prize winner’s photo will be published in the December 2016 issue of Outdoor Photographer. The People’s Choice Award winners will be announced online sometime in October 2016.

Question: What are the prizes?

Answer:

See the contest landing page or the official rules for a complete list of contest prizes.

Question: When I try to enter online, I get an error message. What's going on?

Answer:

If your attempts at entering online aren’t successful, our system might be struggling. Try waiting a few minutes, then clear your browser’s cache and cookies—you might even try restarting your computer—and go to the online entry page again.

Additionally, title your photos with alphanumeric characters only. Please don’t use apostrophes, ampersands or any other character symbol, as doing so may cause errors during uploading.

Question: I've tried clearing my cache and cookies, and I even bought a new computer. The online entry form just isn't working for me.

Answer:

Double-check that the size of your images meets our requirements. If all else fails, send us an email at [email protected]. In your email, please indicate:

  1. The name of the contest
  2. Your username
  3. The image ID # (if applicable)
  4. The exact nature of your problem

Outdoor Photographer Great Outdoors 2016 Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE OR WIN

ELIGIBILITY: The Outdoor Photographer Great Outdoors Photo Contest (“Contest”) is open only to individuals who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry and who do NOT reside in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan or Syria. Employees of Madavor Media LLC, (“Sponsor”), and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child and sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and/or those living in same household of each, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate or win. Sponsors reserve the right to verify all eligibility requirements. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. CONTEST IS VOID IN CUBA, IRAN, NORTH KOREA, SUDAN, SYRIA AND WHERE PROHIBITED.

HOW TO ENTER:

Limit: Five (5) entries per person. Each entry submitted by any person must be substantially different from any other entry submitted by that person, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Additionally, each entry may not have won previous awards and may not have been previously published as part of a previous photo contest sponsored by Outdoor Photographer, Digital Photo or Digital Photo Pro magazines. Entries that are found to have won previous awards or to have been published as part of a previous photo contest will be disqualified.

Submission Subjects: Photographs should be in keeping with the general theme of the The Great Outdoors Photo Contest.

How to Submit Entry: Visit http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/great-outdoors and complete and submit the online entry form and follow the directions provided to upload your photograph. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) on September 15, 2016. Online Entry Submission Format: Photos must be submitted in .JPG or .GIF format and cannot exceed 4mb in size.

Please note: Entries submitted online will be eligible for (i) the First Place Prize (as described below), (ii) Second Place Prize (as described below), (iii) Third Place Prize (as described below) (iv) People’s Choice Prize (as described below), and (v) for posting in the Online Gallery.

Entry must be the original work of the entrant and entrant must be the sole owner of the copyright of such entry. Entry must be in keeping with the Sponsor’s image and may not be inappropriate or offensive, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property rights or any other third-party rights. Sponsor reserve the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entry it deems to be offensive, inappropriate, that is not in keeping with Sponsor’s image or that is otherwise not in compliance with the terms of these Official Rules. Entrant must have obtained express written consent to submit any entry that contains persons other than entrant or third-party elements not owned by entrant and, if requested to do so, produce such written consent from appropriate parties in a form and manner acceptable to Sponsor.

FIRST PRIZE JUDGING: One (1) potential First Prize winner will be determined from among all eligible entries received by a panel of qualified judges, based equally on the following criteria: Adherence to Theme, Composition and Creativity/Originality (“Judging Criteria”). The entrant who submitted the entry receiving the highest score, as determined by the Sponsor in its sole discretion, will be the potential First Place Prize winner.

SECOND PRIZE JUDGING: Following the conclusion of the First Prize Judging, one potential Second Prize winner will be determined from among all remaining eligible entries received by a panel of qualified judges using the Judging Criteria. The First Prize winner will not be eligible for a Second Prize.

THIRD PRIZE JUDGING: Following the conclusion of the Second Prize Judging, one potential Third Prize winner will be determined from among all remaining eligible entries received by a panel of qualified judges using the Judging Criteria. The First and Second Prize winners will not be eligible for a Third Prize.


PEOPLE’S CHOICE PRIZE JUDGING:
All eligible entries received will be pre-screened by the Sponsor and, at the Sponsor’s discretion, posted in the Online Gallery at http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/great-outdoors.html between 12:01 a.m. ET on October 7, 2016, and 11:59 p.m. ET on October 21, 2016, (“Online Voting Period”), eligible visitors to the site will have a chance to vote for their favorite entry. Limit one (1) vote per person. Votes generated by script, macro or other automated means or with the intent to impair the integrity of the voting process will be void. The entrant with the entry receiving the highest number of votes, as determined by the Sponsor, will be the potential People’s Choice Prize winner.

In the event of a tie for any prize, an additional “tie-breaking” judge will determine the applicable winner from among those tied using the Criteria. Sponsor reserves the right to not award any prize if, in its sole discretion, an insufficient number of eligible and qualified entries are received. Decisions of Sponsors and judges are final and binding.

WINNER NOTIFICATION:
Potential winners will be notified by telephone, mail and/or e-mail on or about the last week of October 2016, and will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and, unless prohibited, a Publicity Release, a W-9 Form and any additional documents that may be required by prize provider within fourteen (14) days of date of issuance. If any potential winner is an eligible minor in his or her jurisdiction of residence, prize may, at Sponsor’s discretion, be awarded in the name of the parent or legal guardian, and such parent or legal guardian will be required to fulfill all requirements imposed on winners set forth herein. Noncompliance with this time period or with these Official Rules, or the return of any prize notification as undeliverable, may result in disqualification and, at the Sponsor’s discretion, the prize will be awarded to an applicable runner-up.

PRIZES:

First Place Prize: (1) Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate (ARV $400); (1) Solo Drone with 3-Axis gimbal for GoPro from 3DR (ARV $999); (1) Landscape Pro software by Anthropics (ARV $119.90); (1) Corona 26 camera bag from Tamrac (ARV $191.95); (1) Slik Lite AL-420 tripod from Kenko-Tokina (ARV $140); (1) One-year Zinio digital subscription to Outdoor Photographer (ARV $15.00); Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online gallery (ARV $Priceless); Publication in an issue of Outdoor Photographer (ARV $Priceless). Total First Place ARV: $1,866.

Second Place Prize: (1) Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate (ARV $250); (1) Landscape Pro software by Anthropics (ARV $119.90); (1) Goblin Accessory Bag by Tamrac (ARV $25.95); 1) One-year Zinio digital subscription to Outdoor Photographer (ARV $15.00); Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online gallery (ARV $Priceless); Publication in an issue of Outdoor Photographer (ARV $Priceless). Total Second Place ARV: $411.

Third Place Prize: (1) Borrowlenses.com Gift Certificate (ARV $150); (1) Landscape Pro software by Anthropics (ARV $119.90); (1) Goblin Accessory Bag by Tamrac (ARV $25.95); 1) One-year Zinio digital subscription to Outdoor Photographer (ARV $15.00); Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online gallery (ARV $Priceless); Publication in an issue of Outdoor Photographer (ARV $Priceless). Total Second Place ARV: $311.

People’s Choice Prize: Online publication of the winning photo in the Winners Gallery (ARV $Priceless).
Total ARV of all prizes: $2,588.00

If, for any reason, the Sponsor does not feature any of the winning entries in Outdoor Photographer Magazine in the December 2016 issue, no compensation or substitution will be provided; however, remainder of prize package will be awarded and Sponsor will have no further obligation to First Place Prize winner. All prize details are at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. No substitution, cash equivalent or transfer of prizes permitted by winners. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize (or portion thereof) of comparable or The Greater value, in its sole discretion. All federal, state and local taxes as well as any costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being awarded are sole responsibility of each winner. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by the Sponsor. Limit one (1) prize per household.

USE OF ENTRY: By submitting an entry, entrant grants Sponsor and its designees an irrevocable, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide perpetual license to use the entry and his/her name, city and state of residence for credit purposes in Sponsor’s online galleries, without further compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law. In addition, each winner grants to the Sponsor and its designees an irrevocable, royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide perpetual license to use and distribute the entry [(as submitted, or as cropped by Sponsor)], and his/her name, city and state of residence for credit purposes, in any and all media now or hereafter known, including without limitation in Outdoor Photographer magazine, for purposes of promotion of this Contest and other Sponsor contests and/or for purposes of advertising and promoting Sponsor and, except as otherwise stated herein, without further compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law.

Use of Personal Information:
Your personal information collected in connection with this Contest will be used in accordance with the Privacy Policy (available at http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/privacy-policy.html), including, without limitation, for marketing and promotional purposes.

MISCELLANEOUS:
Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for late, lost, garbled, damaged, incomplete, delayed, undelivered, or misdirected entries or photographs or for computer, technical, printing, typographical, human or other errors relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, inability to access any website associated with the Contest, errors which may occur in the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of entries, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. If for any reason the Contest (or any portion thereof) is not capable of running as planned, including infection by tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsor reserves the right, at their sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and, if terminated, at their discretion, determine winners from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to time of such action using judging procedure described above. By participating, entrant agrees (i) to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsors and judges, which are final and binding in all respects, and (ii) to hold Sponsor and its respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, prize suppliers and advertising and promotion agencies, and the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of the foregoing (collectively, the “Released Parties”), harmless against any and all claims and liability arising, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, out of or in connection with participation in this Contest, acceptance and use of any prize or Released Parties’ use of any of the rights granted herein. Sponsor may disqualify (and void all associated entries) anyone from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that such person is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception or other unfair practices, or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrant or Sponsor’s representatives or who is otherwise not in compliance with the terms of these rules. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

WINNERS’ LIST:
For the list of winners (available after November 10, 2016), send a separate, stamped, self-addressed envelope to: OP The Great Outdoors Photo Contest Winners’ List, Attn: Marketing Department, 520 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA, 90401, to be received by November 10, 2016.

SPONSORS:

Madavor Media: 25 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 404, Braintree, MA 02184

Borrowlenses.com: 1664 Industrial Road, San Carlos, CA 94070

3DR Robotics: 1608 4th St., Berkeley, CA 94710

Anthropics: Suite A16, Ugli Campus, 56 Wood Lane, London W12 7SB, UK

Tamrac: 2036 Lincoln Ave., Suite 104, Weber County, Ogden, UT 84401

Kenko-Tokina: 7642 Woodwind Drive, Orange County, Huntington Beach, CA 92647