Salisbury, MD, June 2, 2020 – The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University is hosting the 10th annual Art in Nature Photo Festival entirely online this year. Taking place virtually from Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 12 with the help of a sophisticated digital platform, the Art in Nature Photo Festival will feature seven new categories for 2020, two social media competitions, and two celebrity photographers to judge them. Photographers compete for their chance at top prizes, including cash, awards, and a feature in the Ward Museum magazine.
Online entries for the 12 unique competition categories will be accepted June 1 – July 8 for either of the two festival divisions: Photographer and Youth Photographer. Contestants in the Art in Nature Photo Festival can enter photographs in any of the competition’s 12 categories, ranging from traditional black and white photography to drone and aerial photography. These will be judged by local and internationally known photographers, including noted fashion photographer Nigel Barker, photographer and educator Akasha Rabut, nature photographer Jacqueline Deely, documentary photographer Edwin Remsberg, and local celebs Tony Weeg and Andrew Tawes.
Leading up to the 2020 Art in Nature Photo Festival, the Ward Museum hold two social media contests – one on the Museum’s Facebook page, and the other on the Museum’s Instagram page – that are open for public participation.
The Instagram contest, which will be a social distancing themed category, is to be judged by world-famous photographer Nigel Barker – TV personality and former judge and photographer of the hit show America’s Next Top Model. Barker will be judging the Instagram contest as well portions of the main competition.
On Facebook, the Museum will host an outdoors/indoors contest judged by popular travel photographer Erin Sullivan – host of the REI video series In Our Nature, and creative mind behind the viral photographs at @erinoutdoors. Rules and competition information for both contests will be shared on the Ward Museum’s social media pages, @WardMuseum.
| “Though it was daunting when we decided to put an in-person festival online for the first time, I am thrilled with how this is coming together. You just never know what’s possible until you try,” said Kristin Sullivan, Executive Director of the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University. “And now we’ve ended up with exciting new categories, celebrity judges, and a great new platform to engage photographers worldwide. I’m really looking forward to seeing the world through these artists’ eyes.” |
A full list of rules, entry fees, and competition details is available online at www.wardmuseum.org. Images are judged on technical excellence, originality, composition, impact, artistic merit, and subject matter. The People’s Choice award will be decided by a majority vote of those persons visiting the online exhibition and voting. Winning entries will be printed and displayed in the Ward Museum at the end of the exhibition.
All weekend long, from Friday, July 10 – Sunday, July 12, the Ward Museum will also be hosting a series of educational content online that includes stories, tips, and tricks from professional photographers to help both budding photographers and seasoned professionals improve their craft.
This event is sponsored in part by Salisbury University, the Maryland State Arts Council, Salisbury Wicomico Arts Council, the Cooperative of Photography, and WBOC Delmarva’s News Leader.
