Cullinan Park Conservancy (CPC) announced the 2020 Photo Contest winners on September 18. It was the contest’s most competitive year yet, drawing 258 entries from across the greater Houston area – stunning images of wildlife, flora and scenery found at the 754-acre nature park. Photographers shared their vision and experiences, many of which were captured as people turned to nature for peace and solace during a tumultuous time.
The contest was sponsored by Oxbow Advisors, LLC, with submissions accepted from June 1-August 31. There were four adult categories – Birds, Wildlife, Landscape, Flora and Photographer’s Choice and four categories for Youth 18 and younger. All photos had to be taken at Cullinan Park, located just north of Sugar Land Regional Airport at 12414 Highway 6 S. in Sugar Land. In all, 258 entries were submitted. Judges included local photographers Mary Favre, Rod Craig and John Whitt.
In the adult group, the following entries won first place in their respective categories: Birds – “Hunting for Breakfast” by Mike Cassity; Wildlife – “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by Tracey Woodard; Photographer’s Choice – “Orb Weaver in Golden Light” by Ken Conkle; Landscape – “Reflection” by Cynthia Azzam; and Flora – “Furry Friend” by Vedha Sampath.
The Youth winners ranged from age 9 to 17. Winning first place in the respective categories were: Wildlife – “Fishing” by Anika Patel; Photographer’s Choice – “Nectar Sack” by Bryan Berteaux; Landscape – “One Foggy Morning” by Anika Patel; and Flora – “Blooming Lotus” by Anika Patel.
Cullinan Park Conservancy hosts the photo contest each year to highlight the diverse natural scenery and wide variety of plants and wildlife at the 754-acre Joseph S. and Lucie H. Cullinan Park in Sugar Land. The Conservancy works to enhance the enjoyment of the Park for all by raising funds for capital improvements.
Normally, the Cullinan Park Conservancy Board of Directors honors the Photo Contest Winners at the annual Picnic for the Park, but due to the uncertainty that comes with COVID-19, the annual picnic will be ‘skipped’ this year. The ‘Skip-nic’ will be an online auction on October 14th – 16th full of unique items and packages including outdoor experiences, lobster dinners & cocktails with park patrons and other one-of-a-kind items. The beautiful photographs of the photo contest winners will also be showcased at this event! Everyone is encouraged to invite friends and join the online ‘Skip-nic’ fun!
To see more winning photo contest entries and to learn more about Cullinan Park and the annual fundraiser, ‘Skip-nic for the Park’, visit www.cullinanparkconservancy.org or visit the Conservancy on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CullinanParkConservancy.
1st Place Birds, “Hunting for Breakfast” by Mike Cassity
1st Place Wildlife, “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” by Tracey Woodard
1st Place Photographer’s Choice, “Orb Weaver in Golden Light” by Ken Conkle
1st Place Landscape, “Reflection” by Cynthia Azzam
1st Place Flora, “Furry Friend” by Vedha Sampath
1st Place, Youth, Wildlife, “Fishing” by Anika Patel
1st Place, Youth, Photographer’s Choice, “Nectar Sack” by Bryan Berteaux
1st Place, Youth, Landscape, “One Foggy Morning” by Anika Patel
1st Place, Youth, Flora, “Blooming Lotus” by Anika Patel
Attached photos:
*All photos can be downloaded at https://www.cullinanparkconservancy.org/photo-winners .