Winners have been announced for the eighth annual Ranchland Trust of Kansas (RTK) photography contest, which concluded Oct. 14.
Each summer, RTK invites amateur and professional photographers of all ages to submit photos that showcase the mission of RTK and Kansas’ ranching heritage. The mission of RTK is: “To preserve Kansas’ ranching heritage and open spaces for future generations through the conservation of working landscapes.”
Nichole Conard of Wichita was the grand prize winner in this year’s contest. Her photo titled “Herding History,” was taken during the 150th Chisholm Trail Drive south of Mayfield in Sumner County. She spent the day following the herd and this was her favorite image.
“Thank you so much for choosing my photo as grand prize. This is the first contest I’ve ever entered, so it is an honor knowing the hard competition I was against,” said Conard.
Amy Robben of Fall River won the Fan Favorite category by receiving 570 votes on RTK’s Facebook page. Her winning photo, titled “Summer Red Angus”, was taken in the Flint Hills.
Robben said, “I live on a 10,000 acre cattle ranch in the Flint Hills. There are about 100 Red Angus heifers out on this pasture. This picture displays the beauty of summer in Kansas and the beauty of the livestock industry.”
A record number of photographs were submitted to the contest this year. The panel of judges narrowed the selection down to a top 30 for the Fan Favorite category voting on Facebook. All other category winners were chosen by the panel of professional photographers, along with RTK and Wolfe’s Camera representatives. The Facebook album was able to reach over 30,000 Facebook users and nearly 6,000 votes were cast for the Fan Favorite category. Thank you to all who viewed and voted for these beautiful Kansas photos.
Additional winners in each category were: Landscape – Sheryll Marks, Wellington; Livestock – Tony Ifland, Cedar; People – Mike Scheufler, Augusta; KLA Member – Marisa Rose Betts, Russell; Youth – Lily Judd, Pomona; and Honorable Mentions – Stacey Rhoades, Newton; Callahan McIver, Council Grove; and Crystal Socha, Augusta. Socha’s honorable mention photograph was the first photo taken with a drone to be entered in the contest. All winning entries can be viewed on RTK’s Facebook page.
Prizes, sponsored by Wolfe’s Camera of Topeka, are awarded to the top 10 winning photographers. The photographs will be used, with permission of the photographers, to promote Kansas’ ranching heritage and open spaces.
RTK will have photo stationery cards for sale throughout the year featuring the 10 winning photos. Printed on premium cardstock, the folded cards are blank inside and come in packs of 10 with white envelopes. The card packages can be purchased for $20 by contacting Samantha Weishaar at 785-273-5115 or [email protected].
