The GLEANER is pleased to announce the immediate opening of its 2009 Nature Photography Contest. Winning entries will be selected to 1) appear on Page 2 of the GLEANER magazine next year or 2) be featured for one week on the front page of the www.GLEANERonline.org Web site during the year. The deadline for entries is 5:00 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008.

The GLEANER will be accepting digital photos as well as slide transparencies, but several contest rules will apply to both media venues:

1. Photographers may submit a maximum of 15 vertical images.

2. Only images of nature scenes taken within the states of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington will be considered.

3. Photographers should be prepared to supply model releases for any recognizable people appearing in winning entries.

4. Winning entries from former years are no longer eligible for submission.

5. Twelve contest-winning images will be used in the print edition of the GLEANER, with payment of $100 per photo.

6. In addition to the 12 photos selected for print, 52 photos will be selected to appear on the www.GLEANERonline.org Web site in low resolution each week during the year, after which the photo may be seen in archival form for four weeks. Any requests for high-resolution versions of these photos for any other purpose will be forwarded to the photographer.

7. Entries should be mailed to or delivered to 5709 N. 20th St., Ridgefield, WA 98642, during regular business hours, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Fridays, 8:00 a.m. to noon.

8. All slides will be returned by regular first-class postage at GLEANER expense or may be picked up in person by the photographer during regular GLEANER office hours after the winners are announced.

Digital Entries

1. If submitting photos taken with a digital camera, ensure that your camera captures at least three mega-pixels. Further, make sure that your camera is set to its "highest-resolution" mode and the image is recorded at the "largest JPG size." The file should be several megabytes in size.

2. Files other than JPG will not be accepted. Virgin JPG files should be saved at the highest possible resolution. Avoid degrading the image by re-saving a JPG file to the same file-name.

3. Submit photos on a CD that is clearly identified "2009 Image of Creation Photo Contest" along with the photographer's name.

4. Use the title of each photo as its file-name on the CD to facilitate future correspondence about that image.

5. Full contact information should also be contained in a cover letter that accompanies the entries: name, mailing address, day and evening phone numbers, and e-mail address. Include a typewritten list of all the titles you are submitting. Also indicate if you want your CD returned.

Slide Entries

1. Only original 35-millimeter slides will be considered. Slide duplicates will be disqualified.

2. The photographer's name must appear on the slide mount along with the photo title to facilitate future correspondence about the image and avoid loss or confusion.

3. Full contact information should be contained in a cover letter that accompanies the entries: name, mailing address, day and evening phone numbers, and e-mail address. Include a typewritten list of all the titles you are submitting.

4. Entries should be placed in a plastic slide page and protected in a large manila envelope.