By PAUL DAVIS
Outdoors Editor
PUXICO, Mo. -- It's time once again for nature photography enthusiasts across the region to dig into their archives, gather their best photographs and enter them in the 12th annual Flora and Fauna Photo Contest, sponsored by the Mingo Swamp Friends, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge and area businesses.
The contest, as in the past, will feature three divisions, including youth, for those entrants age 17 and younger; adult, for those age 18 and older; and professional, for anyone making at least one-fourth of their income from photography.
In both the adult and youth divisions, several photo categories are available to enter, including Native Plant, Native Wildlife, People in Nature and Mingo Landscape. The People in Nature and Mingo Landscape entries must be taken on the refuge, and there are no exceptions. All professional division entries will be judged together, regardless of the subject matter.
This year's deadline to enter the contest is 4 p.m. on Aug. 1.
Photographers can enter only one photograph per category and must include an entry form available at the refuge or online at www.mingoswampfriends.org.
All entries must be in the form of 8X10-inch prints, mounted in an 11X14-inch mat of the photographer's choosing. In addition, each entry also must be submitted as a digital file either by email to mingoswampfriends@gmail.com or on physical media.
The contest has a $5 entry fee per photograph, though if you pay $25, you can enter four photos and receive a one-year membership in the Mingo Swamp Friends.
Entries can be delivered to the refuge visitor center during normal business hours, or you can mail them to: Mingo Swamp Friends Photo Contest, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, 24279 Highway 51, Puxico, Mo., 63960.
Once the winners are announced, the top photos in each category will become part of a traveling display to be shown at various locations around the state. Entries that did not win can be picked up at the refuge.
Prizes this year will be $50 for the Best of Show, while each category winner will earn $25. Second-place entries will receive $15, and those in third place will get $10.
For more information on the contest, call the refuge visitor center at 573-222-3589 or email mingoswampfriends@gmail.com.