Spring flowers will be arriving soon, so it’s not too early to begin thinking about the eighth annual West Virginia Operation Wildflower 2011 “Roadsides in Bloom” calendar photo contest.
The contest is sponsored by the state departments of Environmental Protection and Transportation.
Judges will be looking for the best photographs of West Virginia wildflowers to include in the 2011 calendar. The deadline to enter photos is Oct. 1, 2010. Anna Shahan, coordinator of the DEP’s Adopt-A-Highway program, said the calendar contest normally attracts over 100 entries.
“Anyone can enter,” she said. “You don’t have to be a native West Virginian.”
Photos, however, must be taken in West Virginia. Twelve winners will be selected to represent the months of the year and a grand prize winner’s photo will be displayed on the calendar cover.
Other contest rules are:
· Entries must be submitted as an 8x10 color print and must be landscape orientation. Portrait orientation will not be accepted.
· Flowers photographed must be growing along a West Virginia road and the road must be prominently visible in the photo. Flowers may be growing naturally or in an Operation Wildflower bed planted by the Division of Highways. Pictures of cultivated species planted in arranged beds, such as marigolds, pansies, etc., do not quality.
· Name, address, phone number, e-mail address (if available) and a short description of the photo, including location and county where it was taken, must appear in the upper left hand corner on the back of the photo. Photos will not be returned.
· No more than three entries per person. One winning photo will be selected from any photographer’s entries. Winners will be required to submit a digital copy of photo.
Entries should be mailed to: WV Operation Wildflower, Roadsides in Bloom Calendar Contest, WV Department of Environmental Protection/REAP, 601 57th St., S.E., Charleston, WV 25304.
The state’s Operation Wildflower beautification program is a joint effort between the DEP and the state’s Division of Highways. It includes more than 250 acres of wildflowers grown on West Virginia’s roadways. For more information about the calendar or the rules of the contest, call the Adopt-A-Highway Program at 1-800-322-5530.