{"id":175577,"date":"2026-03-02T22:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/175577\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T22:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T22:31:08","slug":"winning-photos-in-friends-contest-now-on-display-at-six-mile-cypress-slough-preserve-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/175577\/","title":{"rendered":"Winning photos in Friends contest now on display at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Grand Prize photo was taken by Kristina Mintz. “The Apple of My Eye” shows a baby alligator resting atop its mother\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

2 \/ 6<\/p>\n

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Birds 1st Place – Jason Walsh<\/p>\n

3 \/ 6<\/p>\n

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Animals 1st Place -Linda Normoyle<\/p>\n

4 \/ 6<\/p>\n

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Staff 1st Place – Sara Maliva<\/p>\n

5 \/ 6<\/p>\n

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Plants 1st Place – Linda Normoyle<\/p>\n

6 \/ 6<\/p>\n

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Youth 1st Place – Eli Greenfield<\/p>\n

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Local residents and tourists have something new to see when visiting Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve: 28 photos that won awards in the 2026 Friends Photo Contest are now on display in the Slough\u2019s Interpretive Center.<\/p>\n

A total of 277 photos were submitted by 99 different people with 28 photos receiving honors.<\/p>\n

The winning photos in each category:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Grand Prize: Kristina Mintz<\/p>\n

\u2022 Animals: Linda Normoyle<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Birds: Jason Walsh<\/p>\n

\u2022 Plants and Landscapes: Linda Normoyle<\/p>\n

\u2022 Youth: Eli Greenfield<\/p>\n

\u2022 Staff: Sara Maliva<\/p>\n

The best of those photos almost never occurred. Mintz thought about skipping a trip to the Slough last September because thunderstorms were in the forecast. But she braved the weather and came upon a scene that proved quite rewarding.<\/p>\n

Her photo of a baby alligator resting on its mother\u2019s head is the Grand Prize winner in the 2026 Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Photo Contest honoring Carolyn Babb.<\/p>\n

Mintz, a fifth-grade teacher at Heights Elementary School in Fort Myers, also won the Grand Prize in the 2025 photo contest. In addition to this year\u2019s top honors, she won second place in the animal category and received an honorable mention in the bird category.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Grand Prize photo is titled \u201cThe Apple of My Eye.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was able to take some photos of the baby on mom before it started raining and the baby went back into the water,\u201d Mintz said. \u201cIt was very cloudy and dark so the light was challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, first, second- and third-place, and honorable mention awards are given in five different categories: Animals, Birds, Plants & Landscapes, Youth, and Staff. The winners were unveiled Feb. 22 during a ceremony at the multipurpose room in the Interpretive Center.<\/p>\n

Twenty-five youths (ages 17 and under) entered the contest. The youngest to be honored is 12-year-old Kymani Myrie, who took his honorable mention photo of zebra longwing butterfly caterpillars while attending one of the Slough\u2019s summer camps.<\/p>\n

The photo contest honors Carolyn Babb, who died in December 2023. She served seven years as president of the Friends Board, the longest tenure of any president. The contest has been held annually since Babb founded it in 2010. It is conducted by the Friends, the nonprofit that supports the Slough\u2019s staff, volunteers and mission.<\/p>\n

The winning photos are posted on the Friends website, www.sloughpreserve.org<\/a>, and can be viewed in person in the Interpretive Center for a year, until the 2027 winners are unveiled. The center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Mondays. Admission to the center and the boardwalk is free with paid parking, which is $1 an hour or $5 for an entire day.<\/p>\n

Serving as judges this year were Friends members and photographers Jason Boeckman, Carol Matthai, and Jose V. Padilla-Lopez, Friends President Nancy Olson, and Fort Myers News-Press photojournalist Andrew West. For the 10th straight year, the contest was run by Friends Board member Sabine Vandenhende. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Slough has been my happy place for so many years,\u201d Mintz said. \u201cIt was where I first became interested in photography, where I took my first photos with my first camera.<\/p>\n

\u201cI share my photos from my weekend adventures there with my students and try to inspire them to put away their screens and get out in nature,\u201d Mintz continued. \u201cThe best part about the Slough is the people though. I have met, and continue to meet so many amazing people there.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judges noted that her winning photo \u201cis a classic example of what many visitors to Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve come to observe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of the photographers whose entries were recognized by the judges. An asterisk (*) denotes that the photo was selected to appear as a postcard, and a double asterisk (**) denotes a photo selected to appear as a sticker. The postcards and stickers are available for purchase in the Friends Corner nature store in the Interpretive Center.<\/p>\n

Grand Prize<\/p>\n

Kristina Mintz*<\/p>\n

Animals<\/p>\n

1st Place: Linda Normoyle<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Kristina Mintz<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Debbie Guadagnino<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Christian Rehm<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: John Cao**<\/p>\n

Birds<\/p>\n

1st Place: Jason Walsh<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Cathy Webb**<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Thomas Lonergan<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Jason Walsh*\/**<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Kristina Mintz*<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Jemetta Hunt<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Eliannis Santiesteban<\/p>\n

Plants and Landscapes<\/p>\n

1st Place: Linda Normoyle<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Fred Borgianini<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Jeremy Greenfield<\/p>\n

Youth<\/p>\n

1st Place: Eli Greenfield<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Bear Tortorello<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Eli Greenfield<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Bear Tortorello<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Kymani Myrie<\/p>\n

Staff<\/p>\n

1st Place: Sara Maliva<\/p>\n

2nd Place: Sabine Vandenhende<\/p>\n

3rd Place: Gerald Thompson<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: Sabine Vandenhende<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention: William Greene<\/p>\n

Additional Postcards<\/p>\n

Ann Reilly*\/**<\/p>\n

Larry Czerwinski*<\/p>\n

Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve has more than 3,500 acres of wetland ecosystem, with a boardwalk trail and Interpretive Center. Animals like otters, alligators, turtles, wading birds, and more live at the Slough year-round. Others, like migrating birds and butterflies, use the Slough as a feeding area or a winter home. The Slough is managed by the Lee County Department of Parks and Recreation.<\/p>\n

Source: Friends of the Slough<\/p>\n


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