If you’ve cleaned up litter in the region and captured your work with a great photo, you still have time to enter a contest offering cash prizes.
Less than a week remains to enter the Pennsylvania Resources Council Gene Capaldi “Lens on Litter” competition.
The deadline is Friday, Oct. 31. The contest for amateur photographers, established in 1984, focuses public attention on the problems of litter in Pennsylvania.
According to the PRC website, photos submitted to the Lens on Litter Photo Contest should “help to heighten litter consciousness by showing how litter threatens public health and safety, scenic beauty, property values, the environment, pets or wildlife.”
Each photo will be judged on six criteria: anti-litter message, originality of photo, photographic technique, quality of photo, originality of title, and “severity of the litterbug’s crime.”
This year contestants will compete in four categories. Adults, students through grade 12 can submit photos, for those, plus two new before and after categories at those same levels. The new categories want submissions from people who participated in Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Pick Up PA program this year. Those cleanup efforts must have been reported, according to the PRC website.
Adults and students in the two general categories will compete for $500 first place, $250 second place and $100 third place honors. A prize of $500 will be awarded in both before and after categories.
Sponsors for the 2025 contest are Carolyn Capaldi, Robert and Mary Capaldi, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, Sheetz Inc. and Wegmans.
Rules and directions on how to submit photos can be found on the PRC website.
Zoe Broyles of Pittsburgh won first place for students in 2021 with “Rachel Carson’s Dream.” (Courtesy of Pennsylvania Resources Council)
Helen is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but she’s currently on strike. Contact her at hfallon@unionprogress.com.