by Frank Zurey

Briefly...

• 24 members entered this year’s contest
• 80% of the images entered were digitally
• Honorable Mentions were awarded to recognize the increased quality of the image entries

With a 60% increase in the number of members entering the contest, the competition was brisk. A resounding 80% of photos were submitted digitally in this, the second year that digital images were accepted. A digital slide show of all of the photos was presented at the conference, and the published works were on display.

Thank you to everyone who entered - your participation makes the entire process more exciting.

The Judges

RMOWP member and acclaimed nature photographer Tom Ulrich was the photography judge. A freelance photographer since 1975, Tom has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and numerous magazines and other publications have used many of his 350,000 plus transparencies. Tom leads photo tours to remote parts of the world, conducts photo seminars and workshops around the country, and lectures at numerous universities.

The writing and video categories judge was Joe Reid, with more than 22 years of experience as a writer, editor and publisher in the Rocky Mountain Region. He has written on subjects ranging from the endangered humpback chub to Latin jazz great Poncho Sanchez. A founding member of Book Organizations of Colorado, Reid currently works in the Public Information Office for the City of Westminster, Colorado. A child of the west, Joe always wishes he had more time to fish.

A few of the many highlights of the contest include the following:

• Best of Show Photography went to Tom Cummings for his image "Michigan Stream" in the Scenics category.
• Member’s Choice - voted by conference attendees - went to Tom Ulrich for his print of a squirrel in a precarious predicament.
• Best of Show Writing went to Dan England for his article "The Longest Mile" published in the Greely Tribune on May 31, 2005.

Your Chance NOT to Miss Out Next Year!
If you did not enter this year’s contest, commit to entering next year’s contest. It is an opportunity to share your photography and publications with the membership. The slide show and awards presentation are some of the highlights of each RMOWP conference and your participation will make it that much better.

Results of the Contest
(See the winning entries... coming soon)

PHOTOGRAPHY

Best of Show

Tom Cummings, "Michigan Stream" (Scenics)

People in the Outdoors

1st Frank Zurey, "High Country Skiing"
2nd Beto Gutierrez, "Escape"
3rd Tom Cummings, "Closeup"

Scenics

1st Tom Cummings, "Michigan Stream"
2nd Jack Olson, "Colorado National Monument - Colorado"
3rd Steve Schweitzer, "Oarless"

Flora

1st Jack Olson, "Colorado Blue Columbine"
2nd Frank Zurey, "Western Columbine"
3rd Kathy Turner, "Coneflower"

Fauna

1st Kathy Turner, "Camouflaged"
2nd Kathy Turner, "Lady Bug on Seed Head"
3rd Tom Cummings, "Cool Water"

Best Slide From Last Conference

1st Frank Zurey, "Look Out Below"
2nd Tom Cummings, "Gitty Up"
3rd Sherry Zurey, "Cowboy Poet"

Historical

1st Richard Youngblood, "Log Cabin"
2nd Frank Zurey, "The 1920s"
3rd Frank Zurey, "Petroglyphs"

Cultural

1st Tom Cummings, "By the Horns"
2nd Donna Harvey, "Skirt Dance"
3rd Beto Gutierrez, "Mexican Doll Maker"

Events

1st Frank Zurey , "Life After the Big Fish Fire"
2nd Jack Olson, "Cloud on Kebler Pass - Colorado"
3rd Jack Olson, "Big Thompson Running High"

Altered/Composite Images

1st Kelly Gatlin, "VLA in Rosy Glow with wildflowers"
2nd Tom Cummings, "Fall"
3rd Richard Youngblood, "Remembering D-Day"

Novice Prints

1st Richard Youngblood, "Chipmunk"

Novice Slides or Digital Images

1st Donna Harvey, "Cone Flower"
2nd Richard Youngblood, "Rocks in Stream"
3rd Richard Youngblood, "Sprague Lake Reflection"

Color Prints

1st Anne Sullivan, "On the Yangtze, China"
2nd Richard Youngblood, "Stump in Bluebonnets"
3rd Beto Gutierrez, "Lost in Quiet"

Black and White prints

1st Frank Zurey, "Lookout"
2nd Steve Schweitzer, "Dinner"
3rd Steve Schweitzer, "Partners with Time"

Member's Choice - Prints

1st Tom Ulrich, "Oh, sh...!"
2nd Frank Zurey, "Morning Light at Tawny Dunes"
3rd Tom Ulrich, "Sun Dawg"

Color Published Images

1st Jack Olson, "Indian Peaks Wilderness", Colorado Scenic Byways, Midwest Traveler, March/April 2005
2nd Steve Schweitzer, "Structurally Sound", Marketing Brochure for Ground Water Engineering
3rd Jack Olson, "White River National Forest", Colorado 2006 Calendar

WRITING

Best of Show

Dan England for his article "The Longest Mile" Greely Tribune May 31, 2005" (Newspaper Columns)

TV/Movie/Video

1st Andy Lightbody, "American Heroes", Rocky Mountain Television LLC, Spring 2005
2nd Steve Schweitzer, Whiting Farms promo video
3rd Andy Lightbody, SHOT Show 2005, Rocky Mountain Television LLC, Fall 2005

Newspaper Columns/Editorials

1st Dan England, "The Longest Mile", Greeley Tribune, May 31, 2005
2nd Dan England, "Bat Man", Greeley Tribune, February 17, 2005
3rd Dan England, "Peak Predicament", Greeley Tribune, August 11, 2005

Newspaper Articles

1st Lee Allen, "Lassoing Lizards at Catalina State Park", The Desert Leaf, March 2005
2nd Lee Allen, "Snake Saviors", Tucson Weekly, November 18-21, 2004
3rd Don Laine, "Carved in Stone", Journal Santa Fe North Summer Guide, Summer 2005

Magazine Articles

1st Mary L. Peachin, "Spirit Bears and Grizzlies of the Great Bear Rainforest", Hawk Air Northern Routes, Fall 2005
2nd John Catsis, "Life on the Mesa", Motorhome 2006
3rd Lee Allen, "Arizona's Trail of Pools ", Rocky Mountain Game and Fish, January 2005

Published Article on 2003 or 2004 Conference

1st John Catsis, "Silver City, New Mexico: Mountains, Art and Victorian Architecture", Pilot Getaways, Jan/Feb 2006

Books and Scripts for TV/Movie/Video

1st Don & Barbara Laine, The New Mexico Guide, Fulcrum Publishing, 2005
2nd Robert Stone, Day Hikes Series - Orange County, California Southern Coast, Yellowstone National Park, Day Hike Books, 2004 & 2005
3rd Maryann Gaug, History of the Land: The Giberson Preserve, Continental Divide Land Trust, August 2005

Newsletter Writing of Any Kind

1st Maryann Gaug, "Mexican Wolf Reintoduction" RMOWP Newsletter, July/August 2005
2nd Anne Sullivan, "Final Countdown to Silver City", RMOWP Newsletter, April/May 2005
3rd tie - Jack Olson, "Jack's Jaunts", RMOWP Newsletter, Sep/Oct 2005 and Anne Sullivan "Sylvia's Story" APAS Newsletter, Oct 2005