Give Us Your Best Shot!
National Butterfly Center Announces the North American Butterfly Photo Contest
(Mission, TX) As part of the 18th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival, the National Butterfly Center has announced a very special addition: the North American Butterfly Photo Contest! The contest is open to everyone in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and accepts digital photos of live, free-flying butterflies taken from October 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013. It’s easy to enter and an enjoyable pursuit; so pick your best shots from last fall and plan to take more through this summer, because your photo could be chosen in this juried competition.
“We want everyone to experience the height of butterfly season in Mission, Texas,” states Marianna Trevino Wright, executive director of the National Butterfly Center, host of the Texas Butterfly Festival, “It’s a spectacular time of year, when ‘winged wonders’ abound! Unfortunately, not everyone can make it, here. For this reason, we’ve created the North American Butterfly Photo Contest. Through the contest, young and old may participate in the festival, from wherever they may be, in case they cannot travel to the Rio Grande Valley.”
The contest is simple: Anyone of any age may submit up to five photos, online, at www.texasbutterflyfestival.com, starting September 1, 2013. The fee for entry is $15 per person, and the portal will remain open for entries for thirty days, with the winning photos unveiled Monday, November 4, at the Texas Butterfly Festival Keynote Presentation and Awards Banquet, featuring renowned artists, authors and naturalists, Michael O’Brien and Louise Zemaitis. Photo contest prizes include $500 for the Grand Prize, and $250 for 1st Runner Up, plus display of the photos for public recognition, at the National Butterfly Center. Twelve Honorable Mentions will also be selected, with all winning photos posted online at www.nationalbutterflycenter.org.
“Butterflies may be found in backyards and parks, green spaces and wild places,” explains Wright. “You don’t have to go far; you just have to go outside and look for them. We hope the contest will encourage people to get outdoors and grow their appreciation of these fascinating creatures, while capturing them through a camera lens—which really is the best way to preserve their beauty and share what you’ve seen.”
The National Butterfly Center is honored to organize and host the 18th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival in Mission, Texas, to advance our mission of education and conservation, aimed at increasing wild butterfly populations. Online registration for the festival opens May 31, 2013, with the full schedule of events and activities available at www.texasbutterflyfestival.com. To view the North American Photo Contest Rules, click on ‘Rio Grande Prix’, under the EVENTS tab on the menu bar, or call 956.583.5400 for additional assistance.
###
The National Butterfly Center is committed to ‘Growing Connections’ between people, plants, and the winged wonders that pollinate and propagate all that grows around us. We do this through educational and environmental initiatives that cultivate meaningful understanding of the parties and processes that create beneficial and sustainable ecosystems. The Center is open to the public, for visitors and members, seven days/week.
To learn more about the National Butterfly Center, and how you can join us, visit www.nationalbutterflycenter.org. Your annual membership or charitable gift impacts the beauty of our community and helps preserve the biologically diverse, natural treasures of deep South Texas.
Media