San Marcos Greenbelt Alliance and the Hill County Photography Club announce the 6th Annual Naturescapes photo contest. The unique beauty of the natural areas within San Marcos inspired the Naturescapes Photography Contest. The contest now includes photographs taken in greenspaces throughout Hays County, with a special award for the best photograph taken in San Marcos parks and other natural areas within 5 miles of San Marcos city limits.

The contest is open to resident and visiting photographers of all ages. A $200 prize will be awarded for Best in Show and $150 for the best San Marcos area photo. Up to four $100 Awards of Excellence will be presented for the next most outstanding photographs. Additional Awards of Merit will be presented at the discretion of the contest juror.

Suggested subjects include scenery, wildlife, plants, people and pets. Goals of the contest include increasing public awareness of the importance of protecting our natural world and giving photographers at all levels of experience a chance to capture, share, and receive recognition for beautiful and inspiring images. Complete rules and entry forms are found at hcphotoclub.org Entries must be submitted online or in person no later than 5:00 pm Monday, July 12, 2010. Entries will be accepted starting April 1, 2010. An award ceremony will be held at the San Marcos Activity Center, Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm.

Judging the event is Adolfo Isassi who has been looking through the lens since he got his Agfa-Matic for his 7th birthday, and using photography as an art medium since he graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey in Mexico in 1985 with a major in architecture and a minor in graphic design. He has exhibited his work with the Austin Association of Visual Arts, Texas Documentary Photographers shows, the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division, PX3 De La Photographie Paris, and fine art galleries around Central Texas.