Call for Entries: 2014 Naturescapes Photo Salon Competition
“New Mexico Wilderness”
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in conjunction with the New Mexico Museum
of Natural History Foundation invites photographers at all levels of experience to submit their work to the
2014 Naturescapes Photo Salon competition.
In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act, the theme of this year’s competition is
“New Mexico Wilderness.” There are 25 Wilderness Areas and 58 Wilderness Study Areas in New
Mexico that are special lands designated for “preservation and protection in their natural condition,” and
we seek your best photographs from these areas.
The Wilderness Act of 1964 established the American definition of wilderness:
A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape,
is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by
man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.
In the spirit of that definition, the Museum calls for photographs that include landscapes or particular
places and things within New Mexico’s Wilderness Areas. Note that the photos should not include people
since the focus is on these amazing, wild areas.
We encourage experienced photographers and students to submit their work. Photographers do not have
to be residents of New Mexico, but the photographs must be taken only in one of the 25 Wilderness Areas
or 58 Wilderness Study Areas within the borders of the State of New Mexico.
Winning entries will be selected by a three-judge panel based on relevance to the theme of New Mexico
Wilderness and artistic merit (composition, creativity and overall quality). There will be a $15 entry fee,
and the top three winners will all receive a cash prize (first prize: $150, runners-up: $100). The odds of
winning depend on the overall number of entries received.
Approximately 25 photographs will be selected for exhibition at the New Mexico Museum of Natural
History and Science. The Naturescapes Photo Salon Competition winners are scheduled to be announced
and prizes are scheduled to be awarded during the exhibit opening on Friday, October 17th, 5-7pm.
Entries will be accepted between July 14th and August 15th 2014 only. Check the NMMNHS website,
www.nmnaturalhistory.org, in early summer for details on submitting entries, or contact Dr. Ayesha
Burdett at ayesha.burdett@state.nm.us.
This competition is sponsored by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History Foundation (1801
Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque 87104).
Contact: Ayesha Burdett, Curator of Bioscience, New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science,
1801 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque NM 87104, ayesha.burdett@state.nm.us , 505-841-2887