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It’s been 25 years since the Marshall County Conservation Board launched its popular photo contest — an opportunity for photographers young and old to celebrate the art of picture taking. Entries are due by Jan. 31. The diversity of images captured each year, says Naturalist Emma Bruck, is fun to see.

“We continue to do (the contest) because we get wonderful pictures from throughout the county, and it’s a great way to see what people have been up to throughout the year and some of the different native wildlife that they have seen,” she noted. “Photos don’t have to have been taken in our county parks.”

Photography categories are as follows:

• Scenic (natural resources): Providing or relating to views of impressive or beautiful natural scenery. Must be taken in Marshall County.

• Native Plants: A photo of a plant that is native to Iowa. Must be taken in Marshall County. Avoid shots of invasive species such as Queen’s Anne lace, parsnip, etc.

• Native Wildlife: A photo of an animal that is native to Iowa. Must be taken in Marshall County. Please avoid domestic livestock, pets, house sparrows, mute swans, and other invasive species.

• Outdoor Recreation: Must depict outdoor recreation such as biking, fishing, running, kayaking, etc. Must be taken in Marshall County.

• Open Nature: Photos of nature taken anywhere outside of Marshall County. These photos are commonly ones taken on cruises, fishing trips, vacations, etc.

• Open class for youth age 17 and under.

Judging will be by MCCB staff. Winners of each category will earn a $25 gift certificate. The week of Feb. 9-15, all photographs received for the contest will be posted on MCCB’s Facebook page. The image that gets the most likes for Peoples’ Choice will win a $25 gift certificate.

Entries must be submitted via email to: mccb@marshallcountyia.gov by midnight on Jan. 31 with “photo contest” in the subject line. Please send your photos high-resolution in either JPEG or PNG format. In the body of the email, include the category for the photograph(s), your name, address, brief description/caption of the photo and title (if applicable) and phone number. No photos will be accepted in person. Pictures need to be saved with the following label: photographer’s name/category/title of photo. Do not include watermarks in the photos.

Do not submit photos that have been previously submitted to the MCCB’s contest in past years. Participants do not need to reside in Marshall County to enter. Photos entered can be taken during any era and not just in the last year. MCCB employees and their families are not eligible to enter the contest.

You can enter as many photos as you’d like in as many categories. Color and black and white images are welcome. People can be depicted in the photos.

“We have restricted the number of entries one person can have — in the past — but not anymore,” she noted. “So the same person could win in multiple categories.”

Honorable mentions will be given, but there is no prize.

Submitted photos may be used in promotional materials and become the property of MCCB. Winners will be announced the week of Feb. 16.

There will be no chili supper this year, so gift certificates will be mailed to the winners.

Other MCCB events coming up include Shoes and Soup on Feb. 4 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Grimes Farm Conservation Center. Registration is $12 per person, by Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. Bruck will lead participants in an evening of snowshoeing the trails of Grimes Farm, followed by soup. Participants must weigh 40 pounds or more, and anyone under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The registration fee includes snowshoes, instruction and the meal. If there is not enough snow, the event may be rescheduled or cancelled.

A Brown Bag Bunch talk entitled “Voyage to the Bottom of the World” is slated for 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 at Grimes Farm. Register (for free) by Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. Ty Smedes will present about his almost month-long exploration of the southern areas of the world, including the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and the Antarctic Peninsula.

To learn more about MCCB and its events, Bruck may be reached at: ebruck@marshallcountyia.gov.