THE Annual PestSmart Feral Photo and Video Competition is back for its seventh year, again with great prizes on offer and new categories to enter, including weed infestations.
Having first begun in 2011, the annual competition has received more than 3000 images showcasing the impact of feral animals on the Australian landscape.
Andreas Glanznig, CEO of the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions said he is always amazed by the quality of photos and videos which highlight this significant national problem.
“Our photo and video competition put feral animals under the spotlight, but why stop at animals?” Mr Glanznig said.
“This year, we want to see photos and videos of weed infestations, like the European blackberry, bridle creeper and prickly pear to name a few.
“We are wanting to promote the whole invasive species problem, and management at a landscape level, not just one animal or one weed at a time,” Mr Glanznig said.
Last year’s winning image was of a fox attacking a native Egret. The photo was taken by Mary-Anne Addington while she was visiting the NSW Hunter Wetlands Centre.
“The [Wetlands] staff were extremely concerned by the images and since viewing them have undertaken further fox control and predator proofing within the wetlands,” Ms Addington said.
Other winning images included feral goats in full fight, a carp egg up close, a feral cat prowling a native Malleefowl mound and an urban fox with a fast food wrapper in its mouth.
“The competition really highlights all aspects of the feral story, from rural to urban areas, encompassing land and water,” Mr Glanznig said.
“We also had some amazing video footage sent in last year, which included the winning footage of a wallowing sambar deer in the Victorian Alpine National Park.
“This video received more than 2700 views on YouTube and extensive media coverage highlighting the issue.
“We are always very excited to see what is entered and we surely won’t be disappointed in 2017.
“I also want to thank Jess Marsh for all her efforts in building up this initiative as part of her project with the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre, she has done a brilliant job in getting this topic on the map,” Mr Glanznig said.
This year the competition is offering 5 prizes each worth $300, for the winners’ of the following special categories, which include:
Best invasive animal image which showcases impact.
Best weed image which showcases impact.
Best image showcasing community collaboration in pest animal management.
The people’s choice – favourite image.
Best video footage showcasing invasive animal or weed impacts.
Do you have the winning image or footage? No matter if it is a professional snap or something taken on your smart phone, give it a try.
Enter today via https://www.pestsmart.org.au/feral-photos/ and follow the prompts.
The competition closes at 12pm AEDST Friday, October 27, 2017.
As a thank you for entering, all entrants will be emailed a screensaver file of the best images entered in our 2017 competition, for you to display on your laptop/computer.
Story Source: invasives.com.au
Ryan Fritz
Ryan Fritz started The Advocate in 2014 to provide not-for-profits and charities another media platform to tell their worthwhile hard news stories and opinion pieces effortlessly. In 2020, Ryan formed a team of volunteer journalists to help spread even more high-quality stories from the third sector. He also has over 10 years experience as a media and communications professional for not-for-profits and charities and currently works at Redkite, a childhood cancer charity.
