Event Calendar

Seney National Wildlife Refuge
2023 Photo Contest

You’re invited to participate in Seney National Wildlife Refuge’s Photo Contest. The sole purpose of the contest is to encourage you to visit and enjoy the refuge. Up to five entries per person may be submitted - no more than three per category with exception of the youth category. Photos may depict any of the following categories:
● Wildlife (Birds, Mammals, Reptiles & Amphibians, Spiders, Insects, etc.)
● Public Use/Recreation
● Landscape
● Plants/Plant-like Organisms (Wildflowers, Lichens, Liverworts, Fungi, etc.)
● Special Assignments (changes annually): Bugs
● Youth (17 and under)
This year the photo contest will be different. Limited space at the temporary visitor center has provided an opportunity to partner with the Erickson Center for the Arts in Curtis, Michigan, to display the photos entered into the contest. The photos will be displayed at the Erickson Center during the 906 Festival on August 5, 2023 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting will end at 5 p.m. and winners will be announced at 6 p.m. Prizes will be awarded in people’s choice and a juried contest at the festival. All photos entered will also be showcased at Loonapalooza, an event put on by the Friends of Seney National Wildlife Refuge on August 11, 2023. The event is open to the public from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Erickson Center. Credit will be given to each of the contestants once the voting has been completed. Certificates will be awarded.

Contest Rules and Regulations
• All entries must be photographs taken at Huron, Harbor Island, or Seney National Wildlife Refuges, the Whitefish Point Unit, or the Kirtland’s Warbler Wildlife Management Area.
• Up to five entries per person may be submitted - no more than three per category with the exception of the youth category. Youth may enter up to five photos. A youth is a person under the age of 18.
• All photographs must be submitted in printed 8” x 10” format. We often use photos in brochures and other publications and would appreciate an electronic copy if you agree to allow us to use your photo for other purposes. I am sorry, but we will not have online voting this year because we do not have the staff capacity. Any photos not in accordance with size restrictions are subject to cropping.
• Black and white or color photos are acceptable. Photos may not be matted, nor should there be any frame or border surrounding the photo. Photos may not display the name of the photographer on the front of the photograph.
• Photos that have been altered to combine two or more photos will be disqualified. Photos that use replication or other techniques to add details to a photo will be disqualified.
• Anyone whose photo has been disqualified will be notified before the voting begins.
• Mail or deliver the printed entries to either the by August 1:
Seney National Wildlife Refuge Erickson Center for the Art
ATTN: Photo Contest ATTN: Photo Contest
1674 Refuge Entrance Road P.O. Box 255 (Street Address - Saw-Wa-Quato St)
Seney, MI 49883 Curtis, MI 49820
• Please email electronic copies to seney@fws.gov, the subject line should read “Photo Contest Entry.”
• Entries are accepted year-round.
• On the back of each printed photo please attach a signed permission form with your contact information.
• All entries must be received by August 1, or they will be entered in the following year’s contest.
• If a minor is pictured in a photo, an “Agreement for Use of Likeness in Audio/Visual Products” (Form 3-2260) must accompany the entry. Forms can be found at (http://www.fws.gov/forms/3-2260.pdf). Copies can also be found at the Visitor Center or mailed to requesting individuals.
• All entries will be retained by the refuge and may be used for a variety of reasons including but not limited to publications, webpages and presentations.
• While extreme care will be taken in handling all entries, the refuge cannot be responsible for any damage to photographs.