If you can take a top-notch photo sometime this year while visiting one of America's national parks or other federal public lands, you may be interested in a photo contest that offers some great prizes.

The Share the Experience Photo Contest is an annual photography competition encouraging amateur shutterbugs to explore our nation's federal lands and share the experience with all Americans by submitting their favorite lands photos.

Sponsored by Olympus Imaging America Inc. and the National Park Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, the Share the Experience Photo Contest showcases the more than 500 million acres of Federal Lands and draws entries from all across the United States.

The winning photo will be the image featured on the 2011 Federal Recreational Lands Pass.

The Grand Prize winner will also receive an Olympus E-3 DSLR Camera & 12-60mm lens, a five-day, four-night trip for four to a federal recreation land of the winner's choice, an annual Federal Recreational Lands pass and Ken Burns: "National Parks: America's Best Idea" DVD & Book. The contest organizers have estimated the value of this prize to be $9,907.

The Second Place winner garners a shorter trip and other goodies with an approximate retail value of $4,007. The remaining winners also earn some nice rewards. Click here for a complete list of prizes.

As is true of any similar contest, it's important to read the complete rules, but here's a summary to help you decide if you want to read all the fine print—or enter the contest:

• There are two categories: the Federal Recreation Lands Pass Category and the America at Its Best Category. See the contest website for an explanation.

• Each Contestant may enter up to a total of three photographs in either category or combination of categories. The same photographs may not be submitted to both categories.

• All photos must be taken during the 2009 calendar year on lands managed by one of the five Federal Recreation Agencies: National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the New Melones Reservoir site of the Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Forest Service. Photos taken in State Parks do not qualify.

• Online entries must be received by December 31, 2009; all mail-in entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2009 and received by the close of business on January 8, 2010.

• Entries must be submitted by the original photographer.

• Contestants retain the copyright to their photographs, and all rights thereto. However, by entering an image you grant the contest organizers a "non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license," which allows them to use the photos virtually as they wish, without any compensation to the photographer. You'll have to decide if that's an issue before you enter, so read the complete rules!

If you'd like to get an idea of the level of competition—or just want to see some nice photos—take a look at a [url=http://www.nationalparks.org/get-involved/photo-contest/?fa=winning-entr... of the winning entries from 2008.
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