Wildlife in North Carolina announces 2006 photo competition

Great wildlife photos are right outside your window. John Stroud of Raleigh,

winner of last year's Wildlife in North Carolina Photo Competition, proved that with his outstanding picture of a hummingbird chasing a honeybee away from a petunia bloom on his deck.

Now you have the opportunity to show your best wildlife photos, whether taken in your backyard or in scenic locations across the state. Wildlife in North Carolina, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's flagship publication, invites everyone to participate in its 2006 wildlife photo competition.

The competition, which runs through Sept. 15, will hand out awards in 10 categories: Birds; Mammals; Reptiles and Amphibians; Invertebrates; Wild Plants; Outdoor Recreation; Peaks, Valleys and Plains; Animal Behavior; Youth Photographer, 13-17; and Youth Photographer, 12 and under. Rules and more detailed category descriptions are printed in the June issue of the magazine and are available on the Wildlife Commission's Web site, www.ncwildlife.org.

The grand prize winner will have his or her photo published on the cover of the January 2007 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina and will receive a check for $200. All winning photographs will be published in the magazine and exhibited at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. First place in all categories pays $100; second place, $75; and third place, $50.

Only photographs taken in North Carolina in the past five years are eligible for the competition. The following rules apply:

No pets or farm animals, with the exception of animals participating with people in outdoor recreation (for example, hunting dogs or riders on horseback)

No photos of animals that are both captive and non-native to North Carolina (for example, polar bears or lions at the N.C. Zoo)

No photos manipulated digitally beyond conventional darkroom techniques or basic digital cropping, sharpening and cleaning up

All photos must be entered electronically at www.ncwildlife.org. No slides, negatives or prints will be accepted by mail. Go to the Web site and click on the Photo Competition link to enter your photographs and to see last year's winners. Photographers may enter up to three photos in each category. The competition drew more than 3,300 entries last year.

Please direct any questions to competition@ncwildlife.org.