Do you have photos from lambing season, or some great shots from this summer on your sheep operation? They could pay off in the form of a cash award in the 2016 American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) Photo Contest.

Photographers are invited to submit photographs in the contest’s five different categories. Entries will be judged on clarity, content, composition and appeal. More than $1,000 in prize money will be awarded, with a $125 award going to the grand-prize winner in each of the five categories, $75 for the first runner-up in each category, and a $50 prize for the second runner-up in each of the five categories. Entries must be received in the ASI office by Aug. 22, to be considered.

Large file sizes are requested, and judges and ASI staff encourage entrants to provide both horizontal and vertical photos. This will better assure your talented and creative photos can be shared in future issues of the Sheep Industry News.

Winning photos will be featured in the October 2016 issue of the Sheep Industry News and will be available on Oct. 1 on the ASI website, earning the top-rated photographers a year’s worth of bragging rights. Rules and prizes for the 2016 contest are the same as previous years, but for 2016, the shearing category has been changed slightly to include shots of fine wool. Any shot centered around fine wool, be it shearing, baling or fleece related can be entered in this category.

The winning photos will be highlighted in the . Only the grand-prize winner, first runner-up and second runner-up in each category will be notified of their winnings.

The five categories in this year’s contest are:
Action – Photographs of activities such as moving/trailing sheep, lambing, tagging, feeding, etc.

Scenic (East) – Photographs of sheep outdoors located east of the Mississippi River. (Photos entered in this category cannot include people.)

Scenic (West) – Photographs of sheep outdoors located west of the Mississippi River. (Photos entered in this category cannot include people.)

Fine Wool – Photographs that spotlight the strength, beauty and natural magic of American wool, to include sheering, fleece photos or any shot that captures the qualities of fine wool.

Open – Photographs with subject matter that does not fall into the four above-listed categories.

Entries should be emailed to Sheep Industry News Editor Kyle Partain at kyle@sheepusa.org with the subject line of ASI Photo Contest.