One of the many perks of growing crops is the awe and beauty they bring every year. In an effort to capture the beauty of farm life, a popular photo contest has one again opened back up. The National Corn Growers Association Fields-of-Corn photo contest is officially open! This is the eighth year of the contest and two new categories have been added.
“This year I am excited to offer photographers the opportunity to submit photos in some of our most popular categories like the farm family lifestyle and growing field corn, but also new categories of equipment and bird’s eye view,” said NCGA Graphic Communications Manager Beth Musgrove. “Every year it’s great to see how the submissions tell the story of agriculture and rural America. That’s why we evaluate the categories and try to offer photographers something new to snap a picture of.”
A total of 26 cash prizes will be awarded with the single, most popular photo with Facebook “likes” receiving a $500 prize, and First ($300), Second ($200), Third ($100), prizes will be awarded for each of eight categories and, as in prior years, judges will select a single Grand Prize winner to be awarded $500. The categories for this year include:
- New! Equipment — Tractors, Combines, Trucks, whatever helps you get your job done on the farm.
- New! Bird’s Eye View — Borne out of the Scenery/Landscapes category with the goal to capture from above, sprawling fields and pastures.
- Corn — Pictures of the mature yellow ears of corn focusing most upon the golden corn kernels.
- Growing Field Corn — All stages of growth from planting to harvesting field corn.
- The Farm Family Lifestyle — Examples of life on the farm: Generational, Working, Playing, Children, and Family Meals
- Scenery/Landscapes –– Examples: Cornfield, Farmland, Livestock, Wildlife, Sunrise and Sunset, Blue Skies, Rainbows, Clouds, etc.
- Farming Challenges — Examples: Effects on Crops, Disease, Pests/Insects, Weeds, Weather such as flood, drought, tornado, etc
- Conservation — Conservation technology in action, can be cover crops, and no-till, nutrient management, grass waterways, buffers, wildlife, pollinator protection, sustainable agriculture.
You can visit the Fields-of-Corn website today to enter your best farm photos, and vote for your favorite photos. The minimum width in pixels required is 3000 for photo submissions.
Fields-of-Corn launched in 2014 to help tell the story of farming field corn in America. Since its start, NCGA has collected more than 2,000 photos across ten categories and awarded more than one hundred cash prizes.
Open to all, entries will be accepted through November 30 and will be available to accumulate Facebook “likes” through December 31. Winners will be announced in January 2022.
