With a grand prize of $500 cash and multiple category prizes worth $50 to $250, the Kimberley Nature Park photo contest should be generating lots of local interest and multiple submissions. But judges say the best images so far have been submitted by an out-of-towner.
“We were surprised to learn that Kimberley and Cranbrook residents weren’t leading the field in all four judging categories,” says Kent Goodwin, president of the Kimberley Nature Park Society. “We’re anticipating a surge of interest from our local photographers as we enter the home stretch.”
The contest deadline is Oct. 10, and organizers would like to receive a selection of images taken in all seasons. Entries will be judged by members of the Kimberley Camera Club in four categories—Plants; Wildlife; Landscapes, Views & Special Places; and People in the Park. Multiple entries may be submitted in each category, and archival photos from previous years may be included as long as they are of vegetation and wildlife that may be found within the boundaries of the Kimberley Nature Park and Horse Barn Valley Interpretive Forest.
Organizers plan to unveil the best entries Nov. 17 at Centre 64 during a special evening slideshow and awards presentation hosted jointly by the Kimberley Nature Park Society and the Kimberley Camera Club. A variety of prizes have been donated so far by local businesses and organizations including the Kimberley Arts Council, Kimberley Lodging Company, Kootenay Mountain Works, Kootenay Computer, Mountain City Travel, Alpenglow B&B, Heartbeet Bistro and Cranbrook Photo & Studio.
The Kimberley Nature Park Society is working to redesign the Kimberley Nature Park’s website and reserves the right to use all submitted images on the new website, on its Facebook page, and in future print materials.
Before submitting, interested photographers are encouraged to visit the photo contest rules page at www.kimberleynaturepark.ca. To qualify, all images must be submitted by Oct. 10 to kimberleycameraclub321@gmail.com.