GOOSE CREEK STATE PARK — Photography enthusiasts, both novices and professionals, are encouraged to enter the Goose Creek State Park photo competition.
To be eligible, a photo must have been taken within the park between January and December of this year, according to Sandra Fambrough, lead interpretative and education ranger at the park. Fambrough is overseeing this year’s photo contest.
“To be considered a professional, you have to make money from selling your photos,” Fambrough said. “This includes wedding photographers or anyone who advertises themselves as a photographer.”
Along with the professional category, the contest is open to novice photographers in the adult category, which will feature entries by anyone at least 16 years old. There is also a category for younger photographers 15 years old and under, Fambrough added.
Located on Camp Leach Road and overlooking the Pamlico River, Goose Creek State Park is a photographer’s paradise. Miles of winding trails take hikers through scenic wooded areas and views of the river are always breathtaking. Wildlife inhabitants of the park — including deer, squirrels and a menagerie of birds — delight and entertain visitors.
An official entry form, available at the park visitors center, must accompany each photo submitted for consideration. There is no cost to enter, but each person is limited to three photos. Subject matter can include people, animals, plants and scenic vistas. All photos must reflect safe, ethical and legal behavior, states the official entry form.
Photo prints, no larger than eight by 10 inches, must be submitted; however, anyone entering the contest should be prepared to also provide electronic copies in the event their work is chosen as a winner. Framed, matted and/or digitally enhanced photos (other than simple cropping and brightness/contrast adjustments) are not eligible. And works by employees of the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation are not eligible.
Prizes for the top photos in each of the three categories will be announced in early January. A gallery of the winning photos will be exhibited in the park’s environmental education and visitors center.
Photographers, both novice and professional, who enter their work for judging must agree to grant the park use rights at no charge for the photos for editorial, promotional, advertising and/or educational purposes, according to Fambrough. Original photos will be returned upon request.
Entry deadline for the contest is 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18.
For more information, visit the park visitors center or call 252-923-2191.