Each year, we invite you to share your best nature photos of Wisconsin with us in our annual Photo Contest. It’s one of our favorite parts of the year, because we get to see all the wonders of Wisconsin that bring our members joy!
We are proud to announce this year’s winning entries. Prizes were awarded for First Place, Runner-Up, People’s Choice, and Field Trip Photo. People’s Choice was determined by popular vote. Field Trip Photo was limited only to pictures taken on NRF Field Trips.
A special thanks to our guest judge, Joshua Mayer, for joining the panel to help select the winning photos! You might recognize him as “The SNA Guy” who has documented hundreds of Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas and the plants and wildlife they’re home to. Learn more about Joshua Mayer’s work by viewing his photography on Flickr and exploring his SNA project.
Enjoy these gorgeous captures! We sincerely thank everyone that submitted photos to our annual contest. We had over 500 entries! There is so much to love about Wisconsin and we appreciate seeing it all through your lens.
First Place
Momma Fox & Kit
by Marci Lanois
St. John, WI
As a child, I was fascinated by all the wild creatures in nature like butterflies, grasshoppers, rabbits, birds, deer, and so on. They were so beautiful and so interesting to observe. I remember looking through my Mom’s and Dad’s bird book, giving each bird photo a letter grade based on how beautiful I thought it was. Once I got into photography, it seemed only natural to photograph wildlife.
Fox kits are my absolute favorite baby animal to photograph! My friend and I learned about a fox family on the east side of the state, so we decided to head there and try our luck. We found the fox family and sat in our car, shooting photos of the kits and their antics! I happened to catch a quiet, tender moment between Momma fox and one of her five kits. These types of moments just melt my heart. Nature is awe-inspiring and fills my heart with peace, joy and exhilaration!
Runner-Up
Belted Kingfisher and Fledgling
by Andy Raupp
Montello, WI
I captured this photo of an adult Kingfisher feeding her fledgling on a small pond on our family property. I had been seeing these two kingfishers regularly by the pond during the summer. So one day I set up a blind nearby their favorite perch to hopefully get some close photos. I was thrilled when my first time in the blind I was greeted by both of the kingfishers as they did some fishing for their food. This was my favorite image from that day as the Mom kingfisher was feeding her fledgling a minnow she had just caught from out of the pond!
I really enjoy nature in Wisconsin as I find it very peaceful and I love seeing all the different wildlife in this state!
People’s Choice
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
by Janice Selfridge
West Madison Agricultural Research Center, Dane County
I took this photo while walking through the UW West Madison Agricultural Research Station. I always bring my camera with me when I visit because I never know what I’m going to see there. The gardens are beautiful during the summer months when there is usually a variety of butterflies and other wildlife present. This Eastern Swallowtail landed on flowers in front of me and remained on them long enough for me to take quite a few photos of it.
Field Trip Selection
Saw-whet Owl
by Carla Guildner
Linwood Springs Research Station, Portage County
Saw-whet owl banding has been one of the all-time favorite NRF Field Trips. This image was captured at night, with the glowing red of night-vision headlamps. The red lighting allows the owl’s eyes to stay adjusted to low light, so they can fly off more easily after they have been banded.
Congratulations to all our winning photographers! And thank you again to everyone who submitted photos. Keep your eyes peeled for your pictures and photo credits featured in Foundation publications and social media posts. And keep that camera at the ready, because our annual Photo Contest will return this fall!
Sign up for our Wisconservation News emails to be notified when the 2023 Photo Contest opens:
Be sure to bring your camera on Field Trips each year. Your photography may be the winner of our next contest!