- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
If you enjoy taking images of insects and spiders, enter the 65th international Insect Salon competition. The deadline is Oct. 28.
The contest, open to photographers throughout the world, is sponsored by the Peoria Camera Club, Illinois, in conjunction with the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the Photographic Society of America.
Coordinator Joe Virbickis of the Peoria Camera Club said the images are restricted to insects, spiders, and related arthropods (such as barnacles, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, centipedes, and millipedes.)
You don't have to be an ESA or a PCC member to enter. You can enter four images for a total cost of $10. Entries are restricted to insects, spiders, and related arthropods (such as barnacles, crabs, lobsters, shrimp, centipedes, and millipedes)
The awards:
Best of Show (PSA Gold Medal)
Peoria Camera Club (PCC) Medals: Most Unusual Image; Best Story Telling Image; Best Image by an ESA Member; Best Image by a Non-ESA Member; Best Image by Peoria Camera Club Member.
2022 Best of Show. The Best of Show medal went to Kenneth Gillies of West Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, for his “Peppermint Shrimps Inside a Sponge.”
Gillies was joined by the five other top winners:
- Medal for Most Unusual Image: Weihua Ma of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China, for “Pretending to be a Branch.”
- Medal for Best Storytelling Image: Dre Van Mensel of Tielen, Antwerpen, Belgium, for “It's Mine.”
- Medal for Best Image by a ESA member: Kathy Keatley Garvey (yours truly) of UC Davis/Vacaville, Calif., for “Checking You Out.” of a golden dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria.
- Medal for Best Image by a non-ESA member, Tim Sanders of Bideford, Devon, England, for “At Work.”
- Medal for Best Peoria Camera Club member: Ladean Spring of Creve Coeur, lll., for “Hummingbird Moth.”
See the 2022 winning entries at https://insectsalon.peoriacameraclub.com/results/2022/Html/sect_1.htm
The theme for Entomology 2023 is “Insects and Influence: Advancing Entomology's Impact on People and Policy.” The 7000-member ESA, founded in 1889 and located in Annapolis, Md., is the world's largest entomological organization. It is affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry and government. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, pest management professionals, and hobbyists.