Oh, Snap! Take a Peek at NCWF’s 2021 Wildlife Photo Contest Winners
2021 Wildlife Photo Contest Winners
North Carolina’s amateur shutterbugs did a whole lot of snapping for North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s 3rd annual Wildlife Photography Contest held May through July. We received an astounding 600 submissions highlighting the beauty and diversity of North Carolina’s nature, wildlife and recreational opportunities – from the coast to the mountains. Categories included Carolina Critters, People in Nature, Scenes of North Carolina, Trail Camera Captures and Youth.
“Picking a single standout photo from each of the five categories was no easy task for our panel of judges,” said Tara Moore, director of conservation partnerships. “Thank you so much to the photographers across the state who beautifully captured and documented North Carolina’s bountiful natural resources and helped raise more than $2,100 to support wildlife habitat conservation and restoration in our state.
Winning contest photos will be featured on NCWF’s website and social media accounts and in our monthly Wildlife Wire newsletter and Wild Lives Wild Places Journal.
Critters Runner-up: Scott Ridenhour, Linwood
People Winner: Aaron Murray, Greensboro “That’s my buddy Craig climbing. It was a climb he had wanted to do and I knew the view would be amazing up there. We headed up without hesitation to the route known as “Edge of a dream”. Having the Viaduct in the background made the moment even more special. The view is definitely incredible up there. It’s a route along an area known as Ship Rock by the climbing community. Located between Rough Ridge and the Viaduct along the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s not an official trail and it’s easy to ride by without noticing. Just before you get to the Viaduct heading south you will look for a faint path on the right along the road. It’s tough going but the path will eventually take you to the view in the photo. It’s normally best to park at pull off beforehand and walk alongside of parkway.”
People Runner-up: Jeff Hall, Wilmington
Scenes Winner: Mark Kwiatkowski, Wake Forest “A trip to the Outer Banks for a chance to catch the Bodie Island Lighthouse with the spectacular Milky Way in the background was well worth the trip. The clouds cleared in the evening to see this picture come to life at 2 a.m. this past June. A must-visit state landmark next time you are traveling down Hwy. 12.”
Scenes Runner-up: Jared Hester, Greensboro
Youth Winner: Rohan Yadav, Morrisville. “One fall day me and my mom were at Lake Crabtree County park to do some bird photography. We were looking to capture something in the large Beauty Berry bush which attracted many birds in the fall. We saw many birds come and go, as they would eat something from the bush then they would go up to the tree above it and repeat that. We also got a lot of good shots where the birds would sit on the extending bush branches and eat the berries. But perhaps the best shot was this one where I captured the Northern Cardinal sitting on a berry branch and enjoying the berries. It was convenient that we were sitting inside the car so that it wouldn’t notice us.”
Youth Runner-up: Zach Houston, Cary
Game Cam Winner: Christopher Austin, Bolivia “My wife and I travel all over this great state, looking for wildlife to photography. This beautiful fox was in my backyard.”
Critter Honorable Mention: Carmen Cromer, Moncure
Critter Honorable Mention: Griffin Nagle, Asheville
Critter Honorable Mention: John McGillicuddy, Charlotte