Kathy Lichtendahl

The third annual Northwest College Community Photo Contest and Exhibition returns in the spring of 2025, and digital entries are now being accepted through Friday, Jan. 10. The contest and exhibit, co-sponsored by Roberts Camera of Indianapolis, will be on display in SinClair Gallery from Feb. 4-March 21, with an opening reception and awards ceremony taking place on Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 7-8:30 pm. The gallery is located inside the Orendorff Building on the NWC campus.

The contest serves as a showcase event for the NWC Photographic Communications program and also functions as a fundraiser for scholarship money provided to students interested in pursuing a professional career in photography. Proceeds from the exhibition entry fee will be used for first, second, and third place awards in amateur and professional categories, as well as future scholarships.

This year’s juror is renowned conservation storyteller and wildlife photographer Kathy Lichtendahl. Based in Cody, Lichtendahl is a graduate of the NWC Photographic Communications program who taught at the college from 2015-18. Her images can be found accompanying stories that promote conservation in a wide variety of local, regional, and national publications. She also spends a number of weeks each year leading workshops for several well-known photo expedition companies in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and beyond.

Those interested in participating in the contest may enter up to five digital images by Jan. 10 to be considered for inclusion by the selection committee. There is no fee during this part of the process, but participants will be required to pay the appropriate entry fee upon drop-off or delivery of images selected for the contest and exhibit. The contest is open for people 18 years old and older.

Selections will be ongoing as entries are submitted, and entrants will receive notification on which images have been selected no later than Jan. 13. All images should be emailed to northwest.photo@gmail.com in JPEG format only, at 300 ppi, with the longest end no more than 7 inches.

Images should be attached individually to the email in the following format: Last name, first initial_title of photograph (Example: SmithJ_Bison). Use the following heading in the subject line of the email: Last Name, followed by “3rd Annual NWC Community Photo Contest.” In the body of the email, indicate whether you are entering the amateur or professional category, along with your phone number, email address, and mailing address.

For amateur photographers, there is an entry fee of $15 for each selected image. This contest is open to all nonprofessional photographers living in the continental United States, including college students, teachers, and photo enthusiasts. There is a limit of five digital entries in this category. Photographs previously published cannot be entered.

Professional photographers may also enter up to five images with a $20 entry fee for each one selected. Photographers earning income from their photographs are considered professional and must enter this category. Photographs previously published cannot be entered.

Cash prizes will be awarded in each category as follows:

• Amateur 1st place: $100

• Amateur 2nd place: $50

• Amateur 3rd place: $25

• Professional 1st place: $125

• Professional 2nd place: $50

• Professional 3rd place: $25

Photos for the exhibition must meet the following frame sizes and colors to facilitate hanging in the SinClair Gallery and for award consideration. Photos not meeting these requirements will not be displayed or considered for judging.

• Black metal or wood frames only (Nielson Black 11 for metal)

• Frame sizes: 16 x 20 (for images 11x14 inches) or 20 x 24 (for images 16x20 inches)

• White mats only

• Must be ready to hang

Photographers in both divisions are responsible for the delivery and pickup of their entries. If entries are shipped, they must include a pre-paid return shipping label including insurance. Shipped entries must be received by Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, and sent to: NWC Photo Contest, 231 West Sixth Street, Fagerberg Building, Powell, WY 82435. For shipping questions, contact Christine Garceau at christine.garceau@nwc.edu or 307-754-6497.

Matted and framed photographs may also be dropped off at the Fagerberg Building on the Northwest College campus in Room 42 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. between Jan. 20-24.

Make checks payable to Northwest College Photo Contest, fill out the gallery information form, and leave it with the photographs. The photographer’s name, division and category for entry, and sale price should be marked on the back of each entry. There will be informational sheets to fill out upon drop-off. No commission is taken for any image sold. Photographs can be entered in one division only and photographers cannot enter one photo in the amateur with another in the professional.

Entries must be picked up between March 24-28 from the NWC Photographic Communication program inside the Fagerberg Building between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. following the conclusion of the exhibition. If needed, call SinClair gallery manager Jayne Johnson at 307-754-6183 to make other arrangements. Photographs not picked up by the end of the semester won’t be available until the 2025 fall semester.