On June 26, EcoWatch launched its "Best of Summer" Photo Contest. Throughout the summer, we've been receiving submissions from EcoWatchers, and we're giving readers the opportunity to vote for their favorite image. Our team has reviewed the August submissions and selected the photos below as our favorites of the month. Let us know which photo you like best by voting below!
Here's how to vote:
Upvote an image below by clicking on the green up arrow located above each photo. You can also downvote photos. You can only submit one vote per photo, and voting will remain open for one week.
In early September, you'll have one more chance to vote to choose between the July and August winners. The winning photo from that vote will receive our EcoWatchers' Choice award of a $100 Patagonia e-gift card.
But that's not the only prize we're giving away. Our panel of judges are also choosing a photo to win our "Best of Summer" photo, with a $250 Patagonia e-gift card award. The judges are: Gary and Sam Bencheghib, Anthony Bucci, Amos Nachoum and Margarita Samsonova. To be considered for this larger prize, please read our guidelines below and submit your photo by September 11.
Clouds over Mount St. Helens in Washington.
A summer sunrise in Tonganoxie, Kansas.
This photo, August Harvest, was taken in Greece, in the area of Halkidiki and specifically the village of Hanioti.
We look forward to seeing your submissions!
Submit your photo to bautista@ecowatch.com with the subject line "ECOWATCH SUMMER PHOTO CONTEST" by September 11th for a chance to win and to have your photo appear on EcoWatch.com. To be considered, submit your photo with the following information:
- Name
- Phone Number
- Photo Submission (.jpeg file format recommended)
- Caption & Location
- Facebook and Instagram profiles (if available)
Our judges will choose the winning photo and the winner will be announced September 23rd. The EcoWatchers' Choice award winner will also be announced September 23rd.
Find out more about our judges!
Contest Judges
Gary and Sam Bencheghib
Brothers Gary and Sam Bencheghib are environmental activists and filmmakers. They founded Make a Change World, a media outlet that uncovers uplifting and inspirational stories on a mission to do good. They are passionate about creating social change through videos and giving a voice to the underrepresented. Together they have launched a series of expeditions from kayaking the world's dirtiest river on plastic bottles to stand-up paddling down New York's most toxic waterways. In the past three years, their work has been seen by more than 600 million people. This summer, while Gary bamboo bikes the Indonesian archipelago, Sam is set to become the first person to run across the American continent with recycled plastic shoes.
Anthony Bucci
Anthony Bucci is a wildlife photographer who grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He has donated numerous prints and other products to various wildlife societies across Canada, silent auctions and other fundraisers to raise funds for wildlife conservation and well-being. Anthony is currently on the raptor pick up list for O.W.L Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Delta BC, Canada. He feels it's important to give back to the wildlife conservation efforts and helping where Anthony can is a task he takes seriously. To Anthony, his wildlife photography is more than just taking pictures. Thinking about conservation and the well-being of all wildlife is always on his mind.
Amos Nachoum
Amos has led great expeditions for individual adventurers and institutions like Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Discovery Channel, Armani, Disney and Columbia Pictures. For National Geographic, he was team leader for separate photo expeditions to document the Red Sea, great white sharks and killer whales. His photos and essays have appeared in hundreds of publications around the globe, including National Geographic, Time, Life, The New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Le Figaro, Terra Sauvage, Airone, Mondo Somerso, Der Spiegel, Unterwasser and many more. His work has also been included in the books The Living Ocean, The World of Nature, and Oceans. He has appeared on National Geographic Explorer, Today, and Good Morning America and featured in People, Esquire and Money magazines. Amos's photography has won Nikon, Communication Arts, and BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards.
Margarita Samsonova
Margarita is a zoologist, sustainability activist, travel enthusiast and social media Influencer who uses the power of her social media to influence people to make more sustainable choices when traveling. After visiting more than 60 countries and seeing what actually happens to our planet, such as how plastic and food waste affects the environment, she decided to take a stand to speak about it and encourage people to care a little bit more about nature. Sustainability is the main focus of Margarita's social posts, and she speaks a lot about eco lifestyle, responsible traveling, ethical wildlife encounters, supporting locals and living in unity with nature.