2019 Photo Contest Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s first wildlife photography contest!

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s first wildlife photography contest was a huge hit. Hundreds of fabulous images were submitted from across the state, representing wild life and landscapes from the mountains to the coast. Subjects for the photographs included pollinators on host plants, raccoons nestled in trees, fox and squirrel pairs, and crabs being crabby on North Carolina’s beaches. Landscape scenes ranged from mountain hikes to cypress trees to pollinator meadows. 

We appreciate everyone that entered and had a wonderful time looking through the wildlife and habitats photographed in North Carolina. Please see the winners (and runners-up) by category below:

Critters–Winner–Dana Haydock (Cornelius)

The winner of the “Critter” category is Dana Haydock of Cornelius, who submitted her original photograph of a great blue heron. “I photographed this blue heron as it was sitting on the boardwalk railing at the Cornelius fishing park, right next to my house,” Haydock said. “I loved the way the setting sun was illuminating its face, and I was able to get a nice close-up with my new Sigma 60mm-600mm lens.”

Habitat–Winner–Deborah Roy (Charlotte)

In the “Habitat” category, winner Deborah Roy photo graphed a focused view of a praying mantis in its backyard habitat. “Capturing the diverse flora and fauna of North Carolina is my favorite thing to do,” she said. “This photo was captured on the split-rail fence in our backyard. The praying mantis is one of those fascinating insects that I have searched for many times but rarely ever spot one. So being able to find these newly hatched nymphs was a very exciting experience.” 

Scenes–Winner–Nancy Cozart (Stanley)

Nancy Cozart is the winner in the “Scenes of NC” category, with an image of the Craggy Gardens trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Black Mountain. Cozart said it was a “stormy, rainy day last August,” when she took the photographer. “I couldn’t resist the foggy and somewhat slippery hike to capture this image. It’s a beautiful hike no matter what time of year.”

HONORABLE MENTION: Habitat 

Photo by Ann Carpenter, Morehead City, NC

HONORABLE MENTION: Critters 

Photo by Ernie McLaney Charlotte, NC