The Arizona Game and Fish Department has announced the winners of the 2023 wildlife photo contest.
The 12 winning photographs are included in the full-size 2024 wildlife calendar that is published in the November-December 2023 issue of Arizona Wildlife Views magazine.
Anne James’ photo of a ringtail was awarded best in show and is showcased on both the cover and in the calendar. James, of Payson, said, “I knew few entries would include a ringtail because of their nocturnal nature and that it wasn’t an ordinary image.”
The 12 winning photographers are:
Jim Burns, Scottsdale: Round-tailed ground squirrel kits
Bill Ferris, Flagstaff: Elk
Isabel Guerra Clark, Phoenix: Desert bighorn sheep
Anne James, Payson: Ringtail
Kristen Kabrin, Fallon, Nevada: Coati
Paul Martin, Mesa: Red-naped sapsucker
Jeff Martineau, San Tan Valley: Banded rock rattlesnake
Kathleen Murphy, Payson: Clark’s grebes
Lee Scherer, Marana: American pronghorn
David Vincent, Tucson: Bobcat
William Wells, Surprise: Woodhouse’s toad
Sue Welter, Peoria: Common chuckwallas
Given the strength and diversity of this year’s nearly 800 entries, the judges singled out 20 images from talented photographers for honorable mention. These photos also are featured in the calendar issue:
Julie Curtis, Golden Valley: Harris’s antelope squirrel
The Arizona Game and Fish Department currently has a subscription special for Arizona Wildlife Views. A one-year subscription to the bi-monthly magazine ordered by Dec. 31, 2023, will include the wildlife calendar and a bonus issue (seven issues total) for only $12. To subscribe, click HERE or visit www.azgfd.gov/magazine.
The calendar is also available for sale at all Arizona Game and Fish offices for $3.
AZGFD thanks everyone who submitted photographs and also thanks Arizona Highways for its partnership in hosting the photo contest.
