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It's time once again to celebrate all that is beautiful and beloved in the state of Michigan.
For the 16th consecutive year, we're inviting intrepid amateur photographers to participate in The Detroit News’ Celebrate Michigan Photo Contest. The competition rewards outstanding photos of Michigan, its people, places, and wildlife, with nine prizes of as much as $300 doled out at the end of the summer.
The contest has three themes running concurrently from May 27 to Aug. 18:
- People and Places
- Woods and Wildlife
- Four-Season Fun
You can enter as often you like, as long as you were the photographer, you're not a professional photographer, and the photo wasn’t selected as a Celebrate Michigan finalist in previous years.
How to enter the contest
Enter the contest at apps.detroitnews.com/submitphotos, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
Each week, with the week ending at noon Thursday, judges from The Detroit News photo staff will select four finalists. At the end of the contest, the judges will select one winner in each category. Another People’s Choice winner in each category will be chosen by an online public vote, Aug. 25-29.
Each of the six winners will receive $300. At the end of the contest, three Awards of Excellence will be chosen by the Detroit News photo staff from the remaining finalists of all three themes, and will receive $100 each.
See the full contest rules at detroitnews.com/celebrate-michigan.
Curious what the competition will be like?
Last year's contest gathered 6,810 amazing entries over the summer. Here are some of the winning images from 2021:
Richard Bagdasarian captured this shot of an eagle snatching a northern pike from Kent Lake at Kensington Metropark. The judges selected him the winner of the Woods and Wildlife category.
In the Four Season Fun category, our editors chose a haunting photo by Rockwood photographer Darcel Demyanovich. She shot this image of a lone figure walking through a dark wood at Novi's Lakeshore Park in winter 2020.
Ethan Allen's unexpected view of the "Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory" on Belle Isle as the People and Places winner. The St. Clair Shores resident captured a koi's-eye view from the pond during a trip in spring 2021.
Also in Four-Season Fun, Chris Klau's "Fly" reminded us of the joy of childhood. The Suttons Bay resident grabbed his camera at the right moment to capture the "perfect Michigan summer night."
Also in People and Places, Richard Grubola's "Big Sable and Milky Way" stood out from the competition. The shot took plenty of patience and good timing: The Pleasant Ridge resident said he got permission to stay late at Big Sable Lighthouse in Ludington.
Check out entries as they are posted to the contest by going to apps.detroitnews.com/submitphotos.