COLUMBUS—The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) recently announced the winners of its 2022 Ohio State Parks Photo Contest this week.
All winning entries, except for the People’s Choice Award, were chosen through three rounds of judging by a panel of ODNR employees. The People’s Choice Award was voted on by the public.
The ODNR Photo Contest offered five categories for images taken in an Ohio State Park after January 1, 2022. These categories are Wildlife in Action, Park Recreation, Wonderful Water, novice naturalist and exploration trails. Entrants could submit up to five entries per category.
“We like to see the parks from a visitor’s perspective,” said Chief Glen Cobb, ODNR Parks and Watercraft Division. “These photographs celebrate Ohio’s outdoors and the memories created when family and friends gather at our state parks.”
First place went to Ashley Hendershot of Ashland who submitted her photo titled “Mohican Sunshine”. His image depicts a biker on the 25-mile mountain bike loop of Mohican State Park, hands in the air as the sun bursts through the surrounding trees.
“This image captures the hidden beauty of Mohican if you’re just willing to seek adventure,” Hendershot said. “This scenery can only be seen if you follow the mountain bike trail and get out and ride!”
Second place went to Johnstown’s Michael Cordell who submitted his photo titled “Kayaking”. It depicts a kayaker in the bay at East Harbor State Park and is taken at water level to include water lilies.
Third place went to Kimberly Jackson from Athens who submitted her photo titled ‘Home Away from Home’, which shows a campsite set up on a sunny day at Strouds Run State Park.
The contest was co-sponsored by US eDirect, ODNR’s reservation management provider. The grand prize was a collapsible Oru kayak and a $120 Ohio State Parks gift certificate. Prizes were also given to the second and third place winners. People’s Choice Award winners in each category received a free night of camping at any Ohio State Park campground.
To see all of the winning photos, you can visit the Discover Ohio State Parks website.
