July 21, 2005

ONLY TWO WEEKS REMAIN TO ENTER 2005  “LIFE ON LAKE ERIE” PHOTO CONTEST 
Entry deadline is Friday, August 5

Information and entry application

TOLEDO, OH – Amateur and professional photographers have until Friday, August 5 to enter the 2005 “Life On Lake Erie” photo contest, sponsored by the Ohio Lake Erie Commission.

“For the first time, we’ve opened this popular photography competition to professionals in the field,” said Edwin Hammett, executive director of the commission. “We hope everyone who knows and cherishes Lake Erie as we do will not miss this opportunity to enter.”

Contestants must send a 5x7-inch print or digital picture via U.S. Mail (along with a completed entry form) to the commission’s headquarters at One Maritime Plaza, Fourth Floor, Toledo, Ohio 43604. Digital entries submitted on a disc must be in jpg, gif or tif format and be in a minimum resolution of 1600x1200. Black and white, as well as color photographs are encouraged.

Amateur and professional photographs will be judged separately. Under contest rules, professional photographers are people who earn more than 51 percent of their income from photography. The 2005 contest has no specific subject categories and may depict any person, plant, wildlife, activity or scene that captures the unique character of the lake’s watershed. All photo entries must have been taken between August 7, 2004 and August 1, 2005.

Last year’s contest drew 266 entries that illustrated six different aspects of coastal Ohio life. First place winners were from Lorain, Blacklick, Ashtabula, Port Clinton, Marblehead and Copley.

Additional information and rules about the 2005 “Life On Lake Erie” photo contest are available at the commission’s Toledo office at 419-245-2514 or at the commission’s website at www.epa.state.oh.us/oleo.

The Ohio Lake Erie Commission was created to preserve Lake Erie's natural resources, enhance its water quality and promote economic development in the region. The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources serves as the commission's chairman. Other members include the directors of the departments of transportation, development, health, agriculture and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The commission oversees the Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund (LEPF), which is supported by

Ohioans each time they purchase a Lake Erie license plate displaying either the Marblehead Lighthouse or the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse – both designed by artist Ben Richmond.  This money is used to fund LEPF grants that focus on improving the quality of Lake Erie and furthering the goals laid out in the Lake Erie Protection & Restoration Plan.