The 2020 South Carolina Wildlife/Hampton Wildlife Fund photo contest will start earlier than usual and will come with an <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNzAxLjc1ODgxNzEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNzAxLjc1ODgxNzEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzQ4OTExNSZlbWFpbGlkPXRoZWlzbGFuZG5ld3NAZ21haWwuY29tJnVzZXJpZD10aGVpc2xhbmRuZXdzQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&amp;&amp;&amp;100&amp;&amp;&amp;http://www.scwildlife.com/photocontest/rules.html?utm_content=&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_name=&amp;utm_source=govdelivery&amp;utm_term=">updated set of categories</a> and rules, as well as <a href="http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&amp;enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTkwNzAxLjc1ODgxNzEmbWVzc2FnZWlkPU1EQi1QUkQtQlVMLTIwMTkwNzAxLjc1ODgxNzEmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xNzQ4OTExNSZlbWFpbGlkPXRoZWlzbGFuZG5ld3NAZ21haWwuY29tJnVzZXJpZD10aGVpc2xhbmRuZXdzQGdtYWlsLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&amp;&amp;&amp;101&amp;&amp;&amp;https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKKSYVSirdSRiIp3fstUFJfb8z00IvWzmMY4o-RSNvPKJ9wg/closedform?utm_content=&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_name=&amp;utm_source=govdelivery&amp;utm_term=">a new online submission process</a> this year.

Entries will be accepted starting July 15. The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. Oct. 15.

Photos must have been taken in South Carolina, and entrants must hold the rights to the photographs they enter. Photos may not have been previously submitted to (or taken on assignment for) South Carolina Wildlife.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Employees of the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and their immediate families are ineligible.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Entrants may submit a maximum of three photos in up to three subcategories: Native Wildlife Species (portraits and behavior), Birds, Insects, Mammals, Reptiles and Amphibians, Nature, Landscapes, Patterns and textures in nature , Plant Life (wild-growing plants and foliage native to S.C.), Weather (seasons and weather occurrences in nature), Recreation, Hunting, Fishing (saltwater and freshwater), Nature/Outdoor Recreation (hiking, camping, boating and other nature-related outdoor activities) and Sporting Dogs (training, dogs in action).

All submissions will only be accepted through the <a href="https://forms.gle/nwC6kXEok79DJh1U7">online SCWildlife.com contest form</a>. Email entries sent to staff will not be accepted.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

By entering the contest, photographers grant lifetime usage rights of entered images to South Carolina Wildlife magazine, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources and the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund. This agreement does not in any way limit the right of the photographer to print, publish, display or sell the image.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Photos will be judged based on the following criteria: impact, sharpness, composition, exposure, lighting and difficulty.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Winning entries will appear in a gallery at SCWildlife.com. Contest photographs will also be on display at the Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic in March and showcased via social media.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Judges reserve the right to decide whether a category merits any or all awards. Prizes will be awarded to the top-winning photographer in each category. Prize details will be announced here on SCWildlife.com.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Some entries may be selected to appear in the annual South Carolina Wildlife July-August calendar issue or other editions. Photographers will receive a copy of the issue if their photo has been selected.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

Upload your entries through SCW's new digital submission site. Photos must be in JPG format and at least 2MB in size. Entrants may submit no more than three entries total across the 12 categories.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>

When submitting your entries, please leave out watermarks to help us keep our judging process anonymous and make winning photos ready for print. Entries may be disqualified based on their degree of photo manipulation.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span>