Do you have a photo that’s your best ever? Is it a photo taken in NC? Does your photo involve the outdoors? If so, you may want to enter it in the 2013 Wildlife in NC photo contest.

The Wildlife in North Carolina magazine is holding its ninth annual photo contest. This contest grows in popularity each year, and is open to professional and amateur photographers alike. Last year the contest received more than 1,600 entries.

There are 10 categories you may enter, including birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, invertebrates, wild landscapes, wild plants, outdoor recreation, animal behavior, youth ages 13-17 and youth ages 12 and under.

The contest had to join the ranks of other contests and charge an entry fee – a one-year subscription to Wildlife in North Carolina magazine, if you are not already a subscriber. That’s fair enough, don’t you think?

A complete list of rules and guidelines can be found at www.ncwildlife.org. Visit the site and click on the link to the contest, and view last year’s winners. There are some amazing photos that won, so you better be sure you leave nothing in the bag.

But whether you win or not is not the focus, it’s getting outdoors. This contest is just a good motivator to do just that. And by looking at last year’s winners, you can get some good ideas for photographing your next outdoor experience.

The deadline for entries is Sept. 1 at 5 p.m., so get busy. And remember, your photo does not have to be taken this year; it can be as far back as Sept. 1, 2006. And as always, you won’t win if you don’t enter.