The Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) announced its second annual statewide agricultural photo contest. KDA invites Kansas residents to submit photos that capture the special moments, hard work and breath-taking beauty of agriculture across the state.

The contest is divided into five categories, including Farm Faces; Picture Perfect Prairie; Agriculture at Work, From the Land of Kansas; and Rollin’ in the Hay, a special category for Kansas youth 19 and younger.

“The department’s first-ever agricultural photo contest held in summer 2012 was a huge success and was a great showcase of Kansas agriculture,” said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman. “As the state’s largest industry, agriculture touches every Kansan every day. With our second-annual photo contest, we want to see how agriculture affects you. From the wheat in the field through the milling and baking processes to the bread that makes your sandwich, agriculture is everywhere around us. I encourage all Kansans to consider submitting photos for this fun contest.”

New to the contest this year, KDA will utilize Secretary Rodman, Kansas Board of Agriculture members and agricultural leaders in the Kansas legislature as well as the department’s social media to judge the photographs submitted. Visit agriculture.ks.gov/photocontest to learn more.

Contest winners will be determined by combining points from the secretary, state board members and legislative leaders with those accumulated on social media sites. Winners will be those with the highest points in each category.

Photos will be judged on creativity, quality and relevance to Kansas agriculture. They will be displayed at KDA and used on the department’s website, social media pages and various other marketing materials.

Photos submitted should not digitally manipulated or enhanced. Digitally manipulated or enhanced photos will be disqualified. Normal cropping, color correction, etc. are acceptable.

Winners in each category will receive $100 gift cards and the runner-up participants will receive $50 gift cards.

Photo entries should be sent in .jpg format to PhotoContest@kda.ks.gov. Entries should include:

• A title and brief description of each photo

• When and where the photo was taken

• Photographer’s full name and age

• Photography category

• Hometown

• Email address

Alternatively, CDs containing photo files and accompanied by all of the required information may be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Kansas Department of Agriculture
Attn.: Communications
109 SW 9th St., 4th Floor
Topeka, KS 66612

Photos must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. CDT on Monday, July 15. Winners will be announced by August 21, 2013.