Nature’s Best Photography Magazine is announcing an open call for all photographers to enter the 2009 NATURE’S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY WINDLAND SMITH RICE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS competition. A total of $15,000 is offered in cash and prizes.

The winners of the contest will have their photographs published in the Awards 2009 Collector’s Edition of Nature’s Best Photography. Winning entries may also be selected for the annual exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The photos are also eligible for presentation in other photo gallery displays that are related to the contest.

The entries are judged by the magazine’s editorial staff and critiqued for technical quality, originality, and artistic merit.

Entry fee is $25. The deadline for this contest is May 4, 2009. Entries for this contest are submitted digitally to the website. The official contest entry form is located at the Nature’s Best Photography site. For full details of the contest and submission requirements, go to Naturesbestphotography.com.

Windland Smith Rice was a strong advocate for conservation and an accomplished photographer in her own right. She won a Nature’s Best Photography award in 1999 and began a close relationship with the contest by volunteering her time to the event. She is remembered by her strong love for nature and photography as well as her warm spirit and love of people.

A partial contest category list follows:

ART IN NATURE:
Naturally occurring artistic compositions (colors, forms, textures, etc.) in nature.

BIRDS:
Wild birds in native habitats displaying plumage, mating rituals, nesting, feeding, or other behaviors.

CREATIVE DIGITAL:
Any nature-related image or combination of images that is created and/or manipulated using digital/electronic technology (such as Adobe® Photoshop®). Let your imagination go wild!

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:
Images that document current environmental issues, such as pollution, global warming, loss of habitat, etc.

OCEANS:
The fascinating world of the sea: tide pools, coral reefs, marine life, waves, etc. Photos taken above the ocean’s surface, related to ocean life, are also welcome.

SMALL WORLD SPECTACULARS:
Shots of plants, animals, and miniature landscapes taken with macro lenses.

WEATHER:
From dramatic storms to tranquil skies—weather in all its fury and forms. (Tornados, hurricanes, floods, rain, wind, cloud formations, etc.)

WILDLIFE:
Wild animals (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc.—birds are a separate category, see above) photographed in their natural habitat (no captive animals).