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Enter your favourite photos in SPCA wildlife contest

The B.C. SPCA’s eighth annual Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest, featuring a new platform and a brand-new look, is open for entries.
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This pair of owls from Kelowna’s Paul Cowhig and a Douglas squirrel from Surrey photographer Lori Clark are currently fighting for the lead in the B.C. SPCA’s annual wildlife photo contest.

The B.C. SPCA’s eighth annual Wildlife-In-Focus Photography Contest, featuring a new platform and a brand-new look, is open for entries.

Each year, participating photographers go wild to capture the best of B.C.’s wildlife through the lens, but you don’t have to be a photographer to support them. With the introduction of a new People’s Choice Award, you can cast your ballot by donating to vote.

“We are constantly amazed at the mind-blowing photos we receive. It certainly makes it hard for the judges to choose the winning photos,” said B.C. SPCA chief scientific officer Dr. Sara Dubois. “We are very excited to announce that this year there’s a new category participating photographers can win, the People’s Choice Award. Friends, family, and members of the public can all support their favourite photos, all while helping wildlife.”

The contest supports the B.C. SPCA’s Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) on Vancouver Island, where almost 3,000 orphaned and injured wild animals are cared for each year. Photos entered in previous contests have been featured in the B.C. SPCA’s Animal Sense and Bark! magazines, as well as in B.C. SPCA educational materials, local newspapers, websites and social media – a testament to the caliber of the images that are entered.

Prizes are also awarded for the top three photos in each of two judged categories: wild settings and backyard habitats. All amateur photographers at least 14 years of age are invited to enter the competition, which runs from July 1 to Sept. 30, by submitting their most impressive digital images of B.C.’s wildlife at rest, work and play.

All photos of wildlife entered must be taken within B.C. and submitted digitally. “Wildlife” includes free-living birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and insects, but not exotic, feral or domestic animals, or wildlife in zoos or rehabilitation facilities. Learn more about this year’s contest and view past winners’ images at spca.bc.ca and follow the “wildlife-in-focus” links.

“The contest encourages participants to explore green spaces, roadsides, mountain passes, beaches and backyards to find photos that really showcase the astonishing diversity of animals we have throughout B.C., and represent the resiliency of local wildlife living at the interface with humans,” Dubois said.

Photographers can also find inspiration online, with the 24/7 live-streaming Wild ARC Critter Cam, which features wild patients.

For more information, email the SPCA at contest@wildarc.com.