Student Conservation Association Launches New Photo Contest; Challenges Outdoor Enthusiasts to “Show Us the Green Spaces You Love”

Prizes Include Day Packs from Deuter USA, Four Round-Trip Tickets from Southwest Airlines, and National Park Pass

CHARLESTOWN, NH (May 27, 2010) — Calling all outdoor enthusiasts! If you have a favorite green space – somewhere in the outdoors where you relax, or connect to nature – now is the time to take a picture of it and share it. The Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national leader in youth service and stewardship, along with Deuter USA, today announced the launch of a new photo contest called “Conservation Begins Here.” The contest, which runs through Sunday, July 4, invites photographers to submit photos of wildlife and green places, whether found in their own backyard, local parks or other urban and neighborhood areas. Contest photos can be submitted on http://www.thesca.org/photocontest, where visitors can view and vote on their favorite images.

“Photos can be of an awe-inspiring view from a national park or of your backyard garden,” says SCA Online Communications Director Sandra Deacon. “We are looking for photographs of places where you connect to the natural world. SCA is committed to training a generation of conservationists who will respect and care for all of these green spaces.”

Photo contest winners will be evaluated and selected by a panel of expert judges: Ken Burns, award-winning filmmaker; Jay Heinrich, best-selling author and editor of Southwest’s Spirit Magazine; Dan Elridge, SCA alumni and professional outdoor photographer; Katy Barnes, photographer and SCA alumni; Kevin Bacher, volunteer supervisor at Mount Rainier National Park. There will also be a People’s Choice award given to the photo that receives the most online votes by the public.

“We are looking forward to seeing not only the incredible photos, but what places people choose to show their connection,” says Christian Mason, Director of Sales for Deuter USA. “By sponsoring and partnering with the SCA, we are proud to continue to grow our outreach and see how people are seeing their passion for adventure.”

The First Prize Winner of the “Conservation Begins Here” Photo Contest will receive four round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets and a Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 Deluxe Day Pack. Second Prize Winner will receive a Deuter Futura Pro 42 Day Pack and a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, and the third prize winner will receive a Deuter Futura 28 Day Pack. The People’s Choice Prize Winner will receive an Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 12 MP waterproof digital camera. There will also be weekly prize drawings to win cool camping gear from Backcountry Edge.

In addition to receiving prizes, winners’ images will be showcased on the Photo Contest website, and published on the SCA Page on Facebook™ for all to admire.

For rules, voting and more information about the “Conservation Begins Here” Contest, go to http://www.thesca.org/photocontest

About Deuter
Deuter Sport GmbH of Gersthofen, Germany, celebrated its 110th year in 2008 and is one of the leading international technical pack brands. Deuter’s major focus is on the development and sales of innovative, high quality and multi-use packs. Deuter’s current strength in pack innovation is the ventilated back system they have developed and refined over the last 24 years as well as their complete line of child carriers. Since establishing a subsidiary in Longmont, Colorado, in 2001, Deuter has made a significant impact in the U.S. market. Deuter USA has over 400 specialty accounts and has been recognized by its retailers as one of the top backpack brands in the industry. For more information, please visit www.deuterusa.com.

About SCA

The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the only national organization that develops tomorrow’s conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with conservation service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests.  Since 1957, SCA’s hands-on practice of conservation service has helped to develop new generations of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet.  SCA is a non-profit headquartered in Charlestown, NH and maintains regional offices in Boise, ID, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, D.C.  For more information, visit www.thesca.org

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