Dear Editor,

Do you know any teens who love to take pictures of wildlife and nature? If so, please spread the exciting news that National Wildlife magazine’s annual photo contest—now open for entries—has a category for young photographers age 13 to 17, and we’d love to see their work.

Kids see the world with fresh eyes—and often have cell phones, tablets or other devices that can capture excellent digital photographs. No matter what kind of camera they use, we’d like to see what they see, whether it’s the tiny detail of a bird’s wing, a sweeping landscape or a memorable moment in nature from a family vacation or their own backyard.

We judge every photograph blind, so youth entrants have the chance to win our grand prize of $5,000. The first-place youth winner will receive $500 and second place will win $250. Even better, images may also be published in print or online, gaining wide exposure—as is the case with this delightful image of a wide-eyed owl (above) by teen photographer Devin DePamphilis.

Wildlife photographer Clay Bolt has taught many kids about how to photograph nature and even wrote an article about it for National Wildlife magazine. “Digital photography actually can capitalize on kids’ fascination with devices to teach them about nature,” he writes, “and maybe even inspire them to protect it.”

We know we’ll be inspired by the images young photographers send our way. Thank you for helping us spread the word!

Sincerely,

Lisa Moore

Editorial Director, National Wildlife Magazine