by Ken Pitts
Vancouver Audubon’s (VAS) Youth Nature Photo Contest winners were announced and honored on June 24th at Cascade Park Community Library’s community room. Youths receiving Honorable Mentions (HM) (two in each of four categories) were awarded 18 inch by 12 inch high quality paper prints of their images, as were the “Peoples’ Choice” (PC) who were additionally awarded $100 checks. Places one through three received $200, $100, and $50 checks respectively and gorgeous 18 x 12 HD Aluminum Prints of their photos.
This year’s quality of photos was both outstanding and inspiring! Here are the results in the four categories:
| SmartPhone Nature | Name | Photo |
| 1st Place | Emmett Caine | Serene Sunset |
| 2nd Place | Shalaka Deshpande | Fall Colors |
| 3rd Place | Daven Caine | Misty Morning |
| 4th (HM) | Thomas Thornburg | Lightning on Android OnePlus |
| 5th (HM) | Thomas Thornburg | Plants |
| PC | Kalee Rasmussen | Warm Autumn Morning |
| Wildlife, Plants & Nature | ||
| 1st Place | John Mendoza | Silent Approach |
| 2nd Place | John Mendoza | Brushstrokes on Water |
| 3rd Place | Ammon Caine | Rascally Raccoon |
| 4th (HM) | John Mendoza | The Quiet Pursuit |
| 5th (HM) | Shaunak Deshpande | We have a Liftoff |
| PC | Mark Megli | Views from Beacon Rock |
| People in Nature | ||
| 1st Place | Shalaka Deshpande | Autumn Ride |
| 2nd Place | Shaunak Deshpande | From the Nature to Urban Jungle |
| 3rd Place | Sofiia Hetman | Blessed Path |
| 4th (HM) | Sofiia Hetman | Golden Moment |
| 5th (HM) | Thomas Thornburg | Friends in Nature |
| PC | Emily Orazio | Be Good and Wait For Me |
| Steigerwald Nature | ||
| 1st Place | John Mendoza | Autumn’s heir |
| 2nd Place | Isaac Lang | Great-Blue Heron Eating a Garter Snake |
| 3rd Place | Isaac Lang | Male American Kestrel Perched on a Branch |
| 4th (HM) | John Mendoza | A Mother’s Touch |
| 5th (HM) | Shaunak Deshpande | Sunrise in HDR |
| PC | Alyxandria Reyes | Love in the clouds |
