People’s Choice Winners Announced in Conservation Foundation’s Annual Summer Photo Contest

September 4, 2024 | Osprey

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast is excited to announce the People’s Choice winners of their fifth annual virtual Summer Photo Contest exhibit. Photographers of all ages and experience levels were invited to submit their original work showcasing the beauty of natural Florida to this online competition. Jurors included award-winning photographer and digital artist, Steve White; award-winning photographer and writer, Mary Lundeberg; conservation biologist, educator, and wildlife photographer, Alberto Lopez Torres; noted photographer, Kerri Deatherage; and three-time Summer Photo Contest People’s Choice Winner, Diane Fairey.

Hundreds of local photographers submitted their images for consideration with the jurors narrowing it down to the top fifty for exhibit inclusion. When making their selections, jurors evaluated submissions on composition, color, contrast, point of view, whether the image told a story, and how well the image fit the category. Following jury selection, community members were invited to vote for their favorites by liking/loving the images in the Conservation Foundation Summer Photo Contest Facebook gallery. Voting took place July 1 through September 2, and the most liked/loved image in each category received the honor of being recognized as a People’s Choice winner.

The photo with the most likes/loves overall received distinct recognition as People’s Choice Best in Show. With well over 200 likes on Facebook, this year’s People’s Choice Best in Show winner was Chris St. Michael’s photograph, ‘If Looks Could Kill.”

The People’s Choice category winners are:

·        The Big Picture: ‘Morning Bliss’ by Ernest Gonzalez

·        The Art of Nature: ‘Falling Embers in the Moonlight’ by Anthony Berry

·        It’s A Wild Life: ‘If Looks Could Kill’ by Chris St. Michael

·        Old Florida Charm: ‘Blackburn Point Bridge’ by Cathleen Nardi

·        Youth Perspective: ‘Light in the Darkness’ by Grace Deciantis

·        Best in Show: ‘If Looks Could Kill’ by Chris St. Michael

The full gallery may be viewed at conservationfoundation.com/summerphoto2024 or by visiting Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast on Facebook. Congratulations to all the photographers whose work was selected for this year’s exhibit!