Amateur photographers are invited to participate in the annual Octoraro Watershed Association (OWA) Photography Contest, which aims to highlight life in the watershed area. It is not necessary to live in the Octoraro Watershed to participate.

Entries will be judged in three age categories: Adult, age 18 and above; Youth, ages 13 to 17; and Youth 2, age 12 and under. Monetary prizes and ribbons will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners in all categories. There will also be a Best of Show winner and a People's Choice award.

New this year is that there will be a Best of Show youth winner along with the Best of Show adult winner. "We had 80 entries last year. We have been in partnership with Miss (Amanda) Kieffer's class at Octorara (Junior-Senior) High School, and they alone submitted 40 photographs," noted Chotty Sprenkel, contest coordinator. "One (of the student's photos) almost got Best of Show. It was beautiful. The judges had a tough time. That's why this year we are having Best of Show for youth and Best of Show for adult."

All photographs must be taken within the Octoraro Watershed, which includes Cecil County, Md., as well as the following townships in Pennsylvania: Eden, Bart, Sadsbury (in both Lancaster and Chester counties), Colerain, West Sadsbury, Highland, West Fallowfield, Upper Oxford, Lower Oxford, East Nottingham, Little Britain, Fulton, East Drumore and West Nottingham. All photographs must be identified with their location within the watershed, whether it be the county, township or borough.

Photographs may be color or black and white. Photos will be entered and judged in four categories: Wildlife, which includes plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, invertebrates and fungi (no domestic animals); Landscapes, which includes sites, scenery and historic buildings; Agriculture, which is farm-related activities and/or farm landscapes; and Trailcam, photographs captured on remote cameras.

As part of the contest rules, photos cannot be altered or created with computer programs. "In the rules, no Photoshop, AI or enhanced photographs are permitted," said Sprenkle. "We stipulate the fact that you can't put something in that was not there. If you want to enhance color or clarity, that's OK. Just don't put in a moon if it wasn't there when you took the picture."

All photographs, which must measure 8 by 11 inches or larger, must be mounted on foam or hard cardboard. Entries will be accepted at the OWA office, located inside the West Fallowfield Township Building, 3095 Limestone Road, Suite 7, Cochranville. Photos may be dropped off on Monday and Tuesday, March 16 and 17, between 6 and 8 p.m. each evening. Those who are unable to make those dates should contact Sprenkle for alternate arrangements. All photos must be received by March 17.

All entries will be displayed and the winners will be recognized at the OWA's annual membership meeting on Thursday, March 26, at 6 p.m. at Britain Hill Venue & Vineyard, 790 Little Britain Road North, Quarryville. Winning photographs will also be featured in the OWA newsletter and on the website.

In addition, the photographs will be part of a traveling display at area libraries, historical societies, local businesses and schools within the watershed area.

OWA is a nonprofit organization established in 1967, with a goal of protecting, restoring and conserving the resources of the 208-square-mile Octoraro Creek watershed in southern Chester County, Lancaster County and Cecil County, Md. OWA holds stream cleanups and tree plantings and provides community education.

Its partnership with the class at Octorara started in 2024, when Kieffer reached out to the organization. Although the photo contest is optional, most students participate. "The kids send their photographs to Miss Kieffer, and she downloads them and puts them in a file and sends it to the art department," said Sprenkle. "They print them out and put them in a very simple frame. The rules say they have to be on hardboard, but these are nicely framed."

OWA members also visit the class, where Kieffer encourages students to become stewards of the Octorara Watershed. "We go in every November and talk with them about what the watershed association is all about," noted Sprenkle. "This year, we sponsored buses to take them to the Chester Water Authority in Nottingham. We did a plant tour, and we did a streamside investigation with them."

Additionally, after the banquet, all of the students' photographs will be displayed for a week in the lobby at Octorara Junior-Senior High School.

For more information about the contest, contact Sprenkle at csprenkle9@gmail.com or 610-593-2808 or text 484-888-5416. More information about the OWA is available at http://www.theowa.net.