The world's photographers flock to Yellowstone. Abundant wildlife, rare geothermal phenomena, and unspoiled landscapes place Yellowstone at the top of many shutterbugs bucket lists. Employees living and working in the park take full advantage of the beauty in their backyard, snapping gorgeous photos on weekend getaways and sometimes while walking to work.
The Yellowstone Employee Photo Contest is a semi-annual event held to showcase employee photography. There are two contests: the winter photo contest and summer photo contest. It should go without saying that entries in the winter contest should feature photos taken in winter, and the summer contest - well, hopefully you get the picture (no pun intended).
All employees are welcome to participate in the photo contests. To enter simply fill out a form for each category and submit your 4x6 print along with the entry form to your location recreation office by the determined deadline. The summer photo contest includes five categories: Employee Experience, Living Land, Wildlife, Close Up, and Night. The entry deadline falls in August each year. Once the entries are narrowed down to a manageable amount the pictures tour to five park locations for employee judging. The photos are displayed in either a recreation hall or cafeteria and employees are encouraged to pick their favorite photos. Once the votes have been tallied the winning photographs are displayed on ycerp.org and the winners receive $50 for 1st, $35 for 2nd, and $25 for 3rd place.
While you're exploring Greater Yellowstone always remember to take your camera and keep your eyes open. You never know what you might capture of film.