The land trusts of Essex, East Haddam, Lyme, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Salem are asking people to get out their cameras and shoot as part of the annual Land Trust Photo Contest.

“We are looking for entries of all kinds,” said Susan Scott, Essex resident and coordinator of the event. “This is a chance for people of any age to come together and share what we have here. This is celebrating the beauty of our towns in southern Connecticut.”

According to Scott, the six land trusts in the lower Connecticut River Valley region are dedicated to the preservation of open space and natural resources and as a celebration of that dedication and preservation, each year they collectively work to host this amateur photography contest to engage photographers in capturing the natural beauty of the region and share their work.

“It’s about finding and celebrating the hidden treasures in our own back yard,” said Scott.

The contest website www.landtrustsphotocontest.org states, “It is an incentive for people to visit land trust properties, observe conservation at work, and recognize the vital contribution that land trusts make to our communities.”

Photo competition categories include Land Trust Properties (a new category for competition celebrating the open space preserves and parks in each of the six towns), Landscape/Waterscape, Plants, Wildlife, Cultural/Historic (buildings, farm animals, etc.), and Black & White of any of the above categories.

There are two separate age groups for kids to enter the contest: 14 to 18, and 13 and younger. (The photographer’s age on Thursday, Feb. 28 is the age that determines which category to enter.) Young photographers compete for cash prizes. First prize is $100, second is $75, and third prize is $50.

This year’s contest will be judged by a panel of three experts in photography and art: Joe Standart, an award-winning photographer, director, and internationally known artist who enjoys photographing the natural world; Amy Kurtz Lansing, an art historian and curator at the Florence Griswold Museum; and Skip Broom, an award-winning local photographer and antique house restoration housewright.

All entries must be submitted by Thursday, Feb. 28 and be submitted as matted, 8x10 photos. All entries will be exhibited and winners announced at the Land Trusts Photo Contest Reception on Friday, April 12.

Photos can be mailed to Land Trusts Photo Contest, P.O. Box 1002 Old Lyme, CT 06371 or dropped off at the Essex Library, 33 West Avenue in Essex, or the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library, 2 Library Lane, Old Lyme.

In addition to dropping off or mailing a matted photo entry, entrants must also send a digital copy of their photo by email to info@landtrustsphotocontest.org.

For more information or to see and see an instructional video on how to mat a photo, visit www.landtrustsphotocontest.org/contact or email info@landtrustsphotocontest.org.