Fort Myers, FL, March 2010 – Take a photo along the Calusa Blueway canoe and kayak trail and enter the third annual contest, Shooting the Blueway. Lee County Parks & Recreation is now welcoming entries and prizes will be awarded at the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival in November.
There are three categories in which photographers can compete:
• Paddlers on the trail: people enjoying the trail, waterways and outdoors
along the 190-mile Calusa Blueway, which meanders throughout Lee County
along the Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel.
• Nature photography: Flora, fauna, landscapes and more.
• Signs on the blueway: Calusa Blueway markers, access points, fun spots and more.
Prizes for top category winners will come from ABC Framing, a mobile-framing business that is the contest’s sponsor. Winners will receive an enlarged, matted and framed version of their photo.
Winning entries might be published in magazines, newspapers and online publications.
Selected entries may be featured on several Web sites, including the blueway site, www.calusablueway.com, the festival site, http://www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com or Lee County Parks & Recreation’s site, http://www.leeparks.org.
Winners and runners-up will be recognized on the final Saturday of the Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival, which runs Oct. 29 – Nov. 7 throughout Lee County.
There is no entry fee. Submissions must be taken along a Lee County, Fla., waterway and include a photographer’s name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and title and location of photo.
Three entries are permitted per photographer; amateur photographers only, please. A model release form is available at http://www.CalusaBluewayPaddlingFestival.com if a person in the submitted photo is identifiable.
E-mail entries as one high-resolution photo jpg attachment at a time to bclayton@leegov.com by Oct. 1.
Winners will be selected by a panel of judges, including Cape Coral artist and kayaker Jeannette Chupack and also Fort Myers native Mark Renz, a photo artist and author. Rounding out the judges’ panel will be award-winning newspaper photographer Andrew West of The News-Press in Fort Myers.
The Calusa Blueway Paddling Trail is 190 miles long and is marked by easily identifiable trail signs. The trail also is mapped out with Global Positioning System coordinates. The waterways are shallow and stay relatively free from powerboat traffic. Order free maps online at calusablueway.com. The Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival is North America’s fastest-growing kayak festival and one of Florida’s premiere eco-events.
Call (239) 433-3855 with questions or e-mail bclayton@leegov.com.
