Audubon Community Nature Center invites you to enter one or all of the diverse categories in its 2019 Nature Photography Contest: Naturally Funny, Field Guide Worthy, and Naturally Beautiful.

The 2019 Nature Photography Contest presented by the Audubon Community Nature Center has three categories inspired by Jamestown’s hometown celebrities.

Jamestown is the birthplace of Lucille Ball and home to the Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum and the National Comedy Center. In tribute to the First Lady of Comedy, one of the 2019 Nature Photography Contest categories is Naturally Funny featuring wildlife photos that make people smile or laugh.

Jamestown is also the birthplace of Roger Tory Peterson and home of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History. In honor of the premier naturalist of the 20th century and the more than 50 Peterson Field Guides, the second contest category is Field Guide Worthy for photos that could be used for identification in a field guide.

The third category is an opportunity to let the world see where is home to the photographer by entering Naturally Beautiful to show the landscapes where one lives.

The deadline for entering the competition is Sunday, June 30. Mark Kirsch, a working photographer and high school and college photography instructor, will judge the entries.

Winners in both the Adult (ages 18 or older, or out of high school) and Youth (ages 8 to 18, or still in high school) divisions in all three categories will each receive a $200 cash prize.

Audubon will print the winning photographs plus 12 finalists for exhibit in the 3rd on 3rd Gallery in downtown Jamestown during the month of August. In addition to viewing the exhibit, visitors to the August 7-10 Lucille Ball Comedy Festival can experience the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History and explore the Audubon Community Nature Center.

Winner and finalist photographs will also be displayed indefinitely on the contest website along with the photographer’s name and city/state/country. Winners will be named in a news release that is widely distributed, including to their local media, when known.

Full details of the competition as well as images of previous winners and finalists can be found at ACNCPhotoContest.com.