Department of Interior Announces Share the Experience 2016 Photo Contest Winners

Photograph taken at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge by Craig McIntyre.

The U.S. Department of the Interior, along with the National Park Foundation and other participating federal recreation land agencies, announced the winners of the 2016 Share the Experience photography contest on the agency’s popular Instagram account and launched the 2017 contest.

This annual contest invites amateur photographers to submit their favorite views, moments, and adventures from America’s national parks and public lands. The winning picture, captured by Craig McIntyre of Rockport, Texas, will be featured on the annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass.

More than 16,500 photos were submitted with more than 710,000 photo views over the course of the contest, which ran from April 28, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2016. The contest saw a 50 percent increase in new users and almost a 10 percent increase in overall photo submissions from the previous contest year.

Dabbling in wildlife photography since the early 1970s, grand prize winner Craig McIntyre of Rockport, Texas and his wife make weekly visits to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge during the summer months.

“I like photographing the frogs because they’re artistic – little reptiles and amphibians are gorgeous to me. I’ve been studying them for 60 years now – patterns, designs, and their behavior all fascinate me,” said McIntyre.

Second place went to Gary Hamer of Robins, Iowa, for the serene shot of his friends paddling off on a morning adventure surrounded by calm water and rising fog in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, part of Superior National Forest, in northeastern Minnesota.

Third place went to Christopher Regala of Mililani, Hawaii, for the photo he snapped of his son experiencing The Narrows at Zion National Park in Utah.

The grand prize for the winning image is $10,000, followed by $5,000 and $3,000 for second and third place.

The 2017 Share the Experience photo contest is now accepting entries through Dec. 31. All entries have the chance to be featured on the Interior Department’s popular Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. For more information visit sharetheexperience.org.