CANTON -- Nature Up North will once again host a contest for nature photos that will be featured in a 2018 wall calendar.

The grand prize winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to ACE Hardware (redeemable at multiple North Country ACE True Value locations), and their winning entry photograph will be featured on the cover of the 2018 calendar.

Second place will receive a $25 gift certificate to the TAUNY North Country Folkstore in downtown Canton.

All entrants whose photos are selected for the calendar will receive two free calendars from Nature Up North.

Contest rules and guidelines:

• Photos will only be considered if they are submitted as Encounters on natureupnorth.org. To submit a photo, first visit www.natureupnorth.org and create a free user account. Then, after logging in, select “Share an Encounter” from the menu options on the homepage. Pinpoint the location of the photo, upload your image(s), and describe what you saw.

• Photos must be taken in Northern New York (St. Lawrence, Franklin, Jefferson, Clinton, Essex, Hamilton, Lewis, or Herkimer counties)

• The contest deadline is Friday, Aug. 11. All Encounter photos submitted in the 2017 calendar year will also be considered in the contest.

• We are looking for photos from all seasons. Photos from previous years are accepted, but they still must be submitted by the contest deadline.

Nature Up North calendars will go on sale at local businesses in early Fall. If you have any questions about the contest, please contact Emlyn Crocker, project manager, at info@natureupnorth.org.

Nature Up North is an environmental education initiative based at St. Lawrence University that works to encourage Northern New York residents to explore and learn about the forests, rivers, farms, lakes, wetlands, and wildlife that make the area unique.