The 2021 Public Lands and Waters Photo Contest


Taking photos that capture the spirit of our public lands and waters - and the experiences we have on them - is essential in communicating the value of our wild landscapes and the richness of our outdoor pursuits to the greater public. 

Send us your photos that best tell the story of our wild public lands, waters and wildlife. Be sure to include a caption with each submission. Our panel of judges will be selecting standout images - and presenting the photographers with great prize packages featuring BHA's corporate partners. BHA will utilize your images throughout the year to bring awareness and ignite action around our work, from upholding fair chase ethics and our outdoor traditions to fighting for policies that influence access and opportunity across North America. 

The Categories

At Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, we love seeing images of our members out in the field. This year we are asking that you submit photos for four different categories:

  • Hunting
  • Fishing
  • Wildlife and Wild Places
  • Backcountry Experiences

We are looking for innovative images that showcase the diversity of experience that BHA members seek when we go out on our public lands and waters...with friends, family or solo...to experience the solitude, challenge and adventure that only the backcountry offers.

The Prizes

Each of the category 1st Place winners will receive a prize package worth $450!

  • Vortex 8x42 Diamondback Binoculars
  • $100 Gift code to GoHunt
  • Benchmade 215500 Steep Country Knife
  • 1-Year Backcountry Hunters & Anglers Membership

The 2nd Place winners will receive a prize package of:

The 3rd Place winners will receive:

The Judges

 

Tony Bynum

Tony Bynum, a BHA life member, is a photographer and conservationist. Tony has produced images used on over 300 magazine and book covers. Hundreds of his images are seen annually in newspapers, national advertisements, annual reports, books covers, art galleries and dozens of outdoor publications. He’s traveled the world shooting images for some of the biggest brands in the outdoor space. As a conservationist, Tony regularly works with nonprofit organizations, collaborates on documentaries, and speaks on conservation, photography and the business of photography. Tony’s a freelance contributor to The Washington Post.

 

Chris Daniel

 

Chris Daniel is a multi-published and award winning photographer and BHA member. Some of his work can be seen in Montana Outdoors, Wyoming Wildlife and Fly Fisherman magazines as well as numerous instructional fly fishing books. Chris resides in West Yellowstone with his wife Mindy and their two cats. He works as a fly fishing guide during the summer months and leads wildlife photography trips on snowmobiles into Yellowstone Park during the winter months. Chris is constantly searching the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as well as traveling the globe, for new and exciting photo opportunities. When not working you can find him chasing trout in the waters he loves to call home.

 

Lael Johnson

BHA member Lael Johnson is a fly fishing guide and photographer who owns and operates Fly Gyde, a Seattle-based salmon and steelhead guide service, online fly shop and destination outfitter.

Originally from Kansas, he grew up fishing lakes for bass, crappie and catfish with his family, which propelled him to chase the dream of fishing full time later in life. After time as an operating room specialist in the Army Reserve, he traveled for a short time as surgical technologist and settled at the Seattle Children's Hospital. His journey out to the Pacific Northwest is where he discovered the rivers and rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula and left the medical profession to take care of himself and others in the outdoors.

Within the Olympic National Park, Lael developed his true passion, chasing salmon and steelhead with a Spey rod, and the dedication to the sport led him to become a sought-after guide, writer and fly tier. "One Cast Can Change Your Life" is the mantra he lives by each day on the water. Ensuring that the opportunity is there for him, his guests and the next generation of anglers is the driving force keeping him going.

 

Colleen Miniuk

BHA member Colleen Miniuk is a corporate-America-escapee turned full-time outdoor photographer, writer, publisher, instructor and speaker from Chandler, Arizona. Her credits include National Geographic calendars, Arizona Highways, AAA Via, National Parks Traveler, On Landscape and a broad variety of other publications. She has served three times as an artist-in-residence with Acadia National Park after which she authored the award-winning guidebook, Photographing Acadia National Park: The Essential Guide to When, Where, and How. She is also the author of Wild in Arizona: Photographing Arizona’s Wildflowers, A Guide to When, Where, & How (1st and 2nd editions) as well as the instructional eBook, Seeing the Light in Outdoor Photography (1st and 2nd editions) and an  exhibition catalogue The Current Flows. She writes an online photography advice column called “Dear Bubbles” and leads photography workshops, women’s photography retreats (called “Sheography™”), webinars, and online critique sessions for camera clubs, organizations, and private clients across the U.S. Learn more at http://www.colleenminiuk.com 

 

 

SUBMISSION CRITERIA 

-No limit on the number of submissions

-Submit fully processed JPEG or TIFF files with caption

-Do not submit photos of children without parental consent

-Deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 31

-Grant non-exclusive rights to BHA

About Thomas Plank