2013 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest

Do you have an eye for photography? Submit your best photos to the 2013 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest!

Contest entries will appear on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s Flickr page and the winners will be showcased in the Agriculture Building at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, August 8-18, 2013. The winning shots may also be included in agricultural promotions on mda.mo.gov and mo.gov throughout the year. The contest is open to any amateur photographer and a special prize will be awarded to the best photo submitted by a child, age 12 or under.

How to enter:

• Submit up to three JPG/JPEG files per category to PhotoContest@mda.mo.gov no later than July 1, 2013
• Provide a title and brief description of your photo(s), explaining the content and when and where each photo was taken.
• Submitting your photo(s) is agreement of all terms and conditions set forth in the guidelines and legal notice.

Categories:

The Beauty of the Farm – Enter photographs that show the pictorial, scenic or graphic nature of Missouri farms, farming or agricultural products. Whether it’s a stunning agricultural landscape, a sunrise over the barnyard, the play of shadow and light from a hay rake or a cornucopia of fresh produce bursting with color, we’re looking for your interpretation of beauty on the farm.

Faces of the Farm – We’re looking for portraits of Missouri’s farmers, farm families and the people who make agriculture great. It might be a toothy-grinned smile of a child beaming over a slice of watermelon or the weathered face of an old farm hand, but the story of agriculture is often told in the people who work and live on the land. Show us the faces of the farm.

The Farmer’s Life – This is the category to show the humor, drama and fun of the farm. Whether it’s a picture of a delicious home-grown meal, grape pickers filling their baskets in the early morning sun, a farmer racing a storm to bring in the crop or cowboys breaking a stallion, we want to see the activities of agriculture. Work, play, friendship or farm families sharing their love for one another – they all fit.

The Pride of the Farm – It doesn’t matter whether it’s green or red, show us your pride-and-joy tractor in the field, your trusty farm truck that helps you get the job done or any other way you use equipment and machinery to make your job easier.

Children’s Barnyard – Open to children ages 12 and younger. All agriculture and farming related pictures will be accepted.

Contest guidelines:

1. Photos must show some aspect of agriculture including food production or agritourism in Missouri.
2. Photos must have been produced in Missouri since January 1, 2010 by the person submitting the image.
3. Limit of three entries per category per photographer.
4. Photographers may receive the “First Place” award in only one category
5. Significant digital manipulation of photos is not allowed. Normal cropping, color correction, etc. are acceptable.
6. Employees of the Missouri Department of Agriculture and their immediate families are not eligible.
7. Photos entered in the contest may appear on the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s website, Flickr page and in Department publications. Winning photographs will be displayed at the Missouri State Fair.

Prizes:

An AgriMissouri gift basket valued at $100 will be awarded to the “First Place” winner in each of the four categories. An AgriMissouri gift basket valued at $250 will be awarded to the “Best of Show” winner.

Entries submitted by photographers age 12 and under are eligible for separate judging. The winner of the children’s contest will receive a special gift basket filled with $100 worth of child-friendly items from AgriMissouri.