HOPKINTON — A local woman’s 50-year love of photography has culminated in her winning the grand prize in the Mass Audubon Statewide Photo Contest.

“I found out I won right before Christmas,” Cheryl Rose, 68, told Wicked Local. “I was really surprised. I’ve been entering the contest for years.”

She once placed first (2019), and on another occasion came in second (2017), but had never previously captured the grand prize. She was awarded a $250 gift card for use at Mass Audubon properties and shops.

“I’m really surprised,” Rose repeated. “There were so many beautiful photos that people entered.”

Hopkinton resident Cheryl Rose recently won the grand prize in the Mass Audubon photo contest, for a picture she took of a sundew plant.

Rose has been a Mass Audubon member since 1988. She serves as a volunteer steward at Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary in Hopkinton, helping to keep trails free of litter and debris.

According to Mass Audubon, more than 5,000 photos were submitted for the annual contest.

Rose’s winning photo features a “striking image of a colorful (and carnivorous) Sundew plant,” Mass Audubon said in its description. “Sundews can be found in wetlands such as those found at (Waseeka), located in Rose’s town of Hopkinton and thus her ‘home’ destination for taking photos and enjoying nature.”

Cheryl Rose took up photography after graduating from high school in 1973

Rose said she began taking photos in 1973, right after completing high school. She immersed herself in shooting black-and-white photos at first, then began experimenting with other kinds as time went on.

Once she retired in 2007, she began spending more time taking photos at the Waseeka Wildlife Sanctuary.

Cheryl Rose, of Hopkinton, won the grand prize in Mass Audubon Statewide Photography Contest.

“When I’m on that property, I always seem to see something different,” Rose said. She added that during the winter, she enjoys taking pictures of snowbanks and ice patterns.

“I also love fog for photos,” she added. “Fog helps isolate a certain subject.”

When warmer weather arrives, Rose said she enjoys taking photos of insects, especially dragonflies.

“As time went on, I learned to look down, rather than up,” Rose quipped, noting plants have also become a fascinating subject.

According to Mass Audubon, competitors were allowed to submit up to 10 photos for the contest, but all must have been taken either in Massachusetts or at Mass Audubon’s Wildwood Camp in Rindge, New Hampshire. The 2023 contest period ran from July 1 to Sept. 30.

“I’m going to keep doing it as long as I can,” Rose said, adding that she enjoys taking pictures and spending time with her husband, Jim. “It’s just something I love to do, and I always have.”