For the first time, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Michigan held a statewide photo contest. Michigan was one of just three states to hold a statewide contest, the others being Ohio and Kansas.

“We received hundreds of images taken all across our great state, from closeups of wildlife and birds to idyllic images of our natural world and stunning photos of people and nature, and they all remind us just how beautiful and special our state truly is,” said Helen Taylor, state director of TNC in Michigan in a news release.

Contest judges called the Grand Prize winner, “A Foggy Cloud Lake,” by Chong Q Wu (see photo at top of story) “…filled with interest, beautiful light and colors and it’s very inviting.”

See the other contest categories and comments below.

Leslie Marr

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The Nature Conservancy in Michigan

The winner for Flora and Fauna is “The Hitchhiker” by Leslie Marr of Decatur, Michigan. The judges commented, “This picture feels so delicate with the ant being lifted away on the hummingbird in motion. This image is a snapshot to the gentle relationships in nature.”

Steven Jessmore

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The Nature Conservancy in Michigan

The winner for the People and Nature category was Steven Jessmore of Grand Rapids with his photo titled “No Wake.” Jessmore is a well known wildlife photographer and winner a national contests for his bird photography. The judges noted the photo shows how “people enjoying nature and conservation can joyfully coexist.”

Karen Farrell

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The Nature Conservancy in Michigan

Winner of the Landscape category was Karen Farrell of Traverse City. The judges described the photo “Middle Hungarian Falls” as a “quintessential fall Michigan picture.”

Brooks Angell

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The Nature Conservancy in Michigan

Brooks Angell’s photo of a bald eagle flying above a winter scene was the winner of the Water category. The judges said of the entry “A Winter’s Hunt on a Frozen Shore,” was chosen because of the “…sharp contrast of the shore and the icy water, and the eagle at full wingspan makes this image so captivating.”

The judges for the Michigan contest included Jason Whalen, Fauna Creative, Jocelyn Coley, The Allen Lewis Agency, Gretchen Valade, Carhartt, and Autumn McGowan, a conservation fellow at TNC in Michigan.