Official Rules:

1. Only photographs of wild birds are eligible.
2. Birds must be photographed in the wild (no zoo photos or pictures of tethered birds, caged birds or dead birds mounted by taxidermy).
3. Either the birds or the photographer must be from Oregon. (We are Oregon Outdoors, after all.) No out-of-state birds shot by out-of-state photographers, but out-of-state residents who shot photos here are welcome to submit. And Oregon residents who traveled on birding trips are welcome to submit.
4. The contest is open to everyone except employees of Southern Oregon Media Group.
5. You can enter up to 3 photos.
6. The entrant of the photo must be the photographer who shot the photo.
7. Only digital (jpeg) photos are eligible, submitted in RGB mode. If you shoot film, the photo must be scanned and submitted in digital format.
8. Entries must be accompanied by an entry form which includes the photographer's name, phone, address and email address.
9. Please include the species name of the bird(s) if known, the location where the photo was taken, the type of camera and lens used, the film speed (if not digital) and, if possible, the shutter speed and lens opening.
10. Digital photos may be enhanced using tools such as exposure control, cropping and sharpening. Other major or obvious enhancements may render the photo ineligible. This will be a decision of the judges and all decisions are final.
11. Entrants agree to allow Southern Oregon Media Group to publish their photos in print or online.

The contest begins Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, 2013. When the entry deadline passes, we’ll kick off a week of online voting, which closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13. The winning photos will be published in the Oregon Outdoors section of the Mail Tribune on Friday, Dec. 20, 2013.

Criteria: