<p>
	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Photo-Contest-2012-700pxl.jpg" style="width: 610px; height: 229px; " />It&#39;s that time of year again! Scour your hard-drive, photo albums, and old negatives and submit your best photographs for the Friends of Au Sable Photo Contest. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Friends of Au Sable invites all members of the Au Sable community to submit their most memorable photos taken during their time at Au Sable for the contest (see below for how to enter), and this year includes a twist. We&#39;ve added a new category called &quot;My Backyard,&quot; where you can share with us the unique landscapes and wildlife that make up your home place. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Photos can be submitted for four categories: <em><strong>Field </strong></em>(photos of nature at Au Sable), <em><strong>Community </strong></em>(photos that capture Au Sable community), <strong><em>Place </em></strong>(photos that capture the interaction between the Au Sable community and the natural world), and <strong><em>My Backyard</em></strong> (photos of landscapes and wildlife that make up your home place). Photos will be voted on through the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Au-Sable-Institute-of-Environmental-Studies/45780179394">Au Sable facebook page</a> and our <a href="http://ausablephotocontest.weebly.com/">Friends of Au Sable Photo Contest</a> website by the greater Au Sable community to win prizes (see below).</p>
<p>
	If you&#39;d like to enter, please submit your photos, ranked in order of preference, by <strong>midnight on Friday, June 22nd</strong> to this e-mail address (<strong>dbouma@ausable.org</strong>). We will post a certain number of your pictures depending on the number of submissions we receive. &nbsp;All photos should include:</p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Your name</li>
	<li>
		Submission category (field, community, place, my backyard)</li>
	<li>
		Year and term photo was taken</li>
	<li>
		Location of the photo</li>
	<li>
		Ranked order of preference</li>
</ul>
<p>
	The five main prizes are:</p>
<ul>
	<li>
		<strong>The Dave Mahan</strong>: Your very own, newly purchased pair of (Dave&#39;s famous) purple biking socks and a $50 gift certificate to your favorite outdoor store</li>
	<li>
		<strong>The Bob Barr</strong>: Bob&#39;s commemorative superhero action figure, Bob the Builder, and a $50 gift certificate to a home repair, hardware or maintenance store for energy-efficient or green products of your choice</li>
	<li>
		<strong>The Paul Wiemerslage</strong>: A book of Paul&#39;s choosing for carrying in the back pocket of your jeans and a $50 gift certificate for book or other education item purchases to increase your knowledge of the natural world</li>
	<li>
		<strong>The Fred Van Dyke</strong>: A hand lens that sheds light on the world&#39;s details and a $50 gift certificate to the naturalist store of your choice&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		<strong>The Lynn Drew</strong>: Lynn&#39;s trademark hooded sweatshirt for those cold days walking the dog and a $50 gift certificate to a store that will help you better enjoy the wildlife in your life</li>
</ul>
<p>
	The grand prize, regardless of category, will be awarded by a panel of artistic, Au Sable alumni. &nbsp;The photo with the most votes for each category also will win one of the four prizes. Voting will begin from June 23 to June 29 via our Photo Contest Website or our Facebook page (click on either link). &nbsp;Vote on our photo contest website through our polling feature, or on our facebook page by simply clicking &quot;like&quot; for the photo of your choice.</p>
<p>
	Happy selecting!</p>
